The Pierce County Prosecutor fired Barbara Corey, the number-3 prosecutor in his office, in 2004. She sued and, this week, won a $3 million verdict from a King County jury.
The jury was asked to rule on a number of specific questions and found:
• The Prosecutor’s Office negligently disseminated confidential investigatory information.The county has not decided whether to appeal.
• The office engaged in malicious and reckless conduct and defamed Corey directly and by implication.
• The office placed Corey in a false light before the public.
• The office intentionally disclosed information and its conduct was outrageous.
• The office wrongfully terminated Corey.
This is a victory for victims of wrongful termination. The true value of the claim in a wrongful termination case is actually in having justice served and setting things right. It's not so much in the monetary value.
ReplyDeleteThis will make employers to think twice before saying to their employees "you're fired!". Admittedly, employers do abuse their right to dismiss an employee.
ReplyDeleteit is quite ironic to see that those who are supposed to advocate the law are the ones who circumvent it.
ReplyDeletekudos to the Corey's lawyers.
Employers should be very cautious in dismissing employees. They might have hired another Corey in their ranks that is willing to bring a termination case in court, fight till the end and win it.
ReplyDeleteFiring an employee for no justifiable reason constitutes wrongful termination. In the same way, terminating a worker as a retaliatory act is prohibited by law.
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