Regarding the jury award to the Sonoma County, Calif. employee sued over failing to win a job promotion losing his position in a job redesign because his agoraphobia prevented him from working except at home (Mar. 17), Michael Fox at Jottings By an Employer’s Lawyer has an update (May 15):
The trial judge has shaved $4 million from the jury verdict, reducing the award to a still sizeable $2.5. Plaintiff has until this Friday to accept the lowered award or face a new trial on damages. The Court also conditionally granted a new trial finding juror misconduct on the damages. Affidavits indicated jurors inappropriately increased the award 40% for attorneys fees and 35% for taxes. The Court still has to award statutory attorneys fees.
More: see addendum to our Mar. 17 post.
One Comment
If one has agoraphobia, the treatment is exposure to avoided situations.
http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/cgi/content/abstract/143/9/1106
Allowing a worker to stay home, dooms to a lifetime of disability. Such patients may be more disabled than paraplegics. The latter may go where they please, drive, work, do sports, something untreated agoraphobics allowed to stay home cannot do.