A Michigan federal jury decided that O’Reilly Auto Enterprises LLC must pay nearly $3 million to a district manager who reported sexual harassment and then was fired.
The jury found that Jeremiah Glowacki’s termination violated both federal and state law. The verdict came at the end of a three-day trial.
Sterling Employment Law attorney Brian Farrar represented Glowacki.
“We believed all along that our client was retaliated against and fired for standing up for a woman who was being harassed,” Farrar told Bloomberg Law. “We’re glad the jury agreed, and we hope that this verdict sends a message to other large corporations that they cannot punish employees who report harassment and think they can get away with it.”
The jury awarded Glowacki $979,000 for lost pay and other past economic damages, $800,000 in future economic damages, and $160,000 for emotional distress. The jury also found O’Reilly liable for $1 million in punitive damages.