It’s not hyperbole when we say that employers pay dearly for breaking the law. That was especially the case in 2011 where we saw record judgments, verdicts, and settlements costing employers millions of dollars.
Here are our top five Chicago employment lawsuits from the past year:
Aaron's Inc. Pays $95M for Sexual Harassment. A federal jury awarded Ashley Alford a whopping $95 million in what may be the largest sexual harassment payout ever. Alford, who worked as a sales representative, claimed that her male colleagues engaged in a campaign of sexual harassment against her like giving her inappropriate nicknames, making sexually charged comments, and even sexually assaulting her. After Alford complained, the company did not take her complaint seriously.
Chicago Fire Department to Pay $30M to Black Firefighters. The fire department instituted an entrance exam in 1995 that left out most black firefighters. Sixteen years later, the city finally agreed to settle the case with 6,000 bypassed black candidates.
Stroger Hospital Pays $7.6M to Former Doctor. A jury ordered the Cook County hospital to pay $7.6 million to a former physician for retaliation and discrimination. Dr. Vivian Renta successfully argued that she was fired from her job as senior attending physician in the county's pathology department for blowing the whistle on a high error rate at the hospital and the hospital's efforts to conceal the errors. The jury agreed, and said the hospital retaliated against the doctor for being outspoken.
AutoZone Pays $600,000 for Disability Discrimination. A jury returned the $600,000 verdict against AutoZone for failing to provide reasonable accommodations to a disabled sales manager. The sales manager was required to perform cleaning tasks that violated his medical restrictions, and the company would not reassign the tasks as an accommodation. AutoZone learned an expensive lesson that disabilities are to be accommodated, not ignored.
Town of Cicero Pays Sharon Starzyk $500,000. Sharon Starzyk was just one of several women who sued the Town of Cicero and its President Larry Dominick for sexual harassment. The town finally agreed to settle this lawsuit and paid Starzyk $500,000 to go away.
Like any other year, 2011 was not a good year to violate employment laws. These five Chicago employment lawsuits demonstrate just how costly it can be to violate the law.
Related Resources:
- Find a Chicago Employment Attorney (FindLaw)
- Employees Rights 101 (FindLaw)
- Employee Rights Center (FindLaw)
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