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Fired coal miner hits a rich vein
Posted by Fired Fred on July 10, 2007 4:40 PM
I love to see big companies that retaliate against their employees get the equivalent of a Habanero pepper sauce enema from the courts.
It's event better that such a blog-worthy event happens as I'm reclining on the Futon Of Love and tapping out Fired Blog Post Number 300. An unnamed coal mine from Kentucky worked for four months with a broken arm in a cast.
It didn't heal, so when he took time off to let it get better, he ticked off his heartless employers...
In March, 2004 the injured worker's doctor told him that his arm was not healing properly. He stayed out of work for two months. When he was scheduled to come back to work in May of 2004, his employer, Rivers Edge Mining Company, fired him.Lawsuitalarity ensued. He won, with the jury stuffing a sock full of coal and belting the mining company with their verdict...
The worker claimed that he was fired in retaliation for his filing a workers' compensation claim. Kentucky law requires employers to reinstate employees when they return to work after they have been out of work on a workers' compensation claim.
The jury returned a verdict against the employer which included $171,697.00 in back pay, $513,410.00 for loss of future earnings, $200,000.00 for "aggravation, inconvenience, humiliation, embarrassment, and loss of dignity." In addition, the jury awarded $1,000,000.00 dollars in punitive damages.Little guy for the win.
SOCK IT TO THEM
Posted on: July 12, 2007 6:03 AM
That's how much his back pay was? DANG!!! I wanna be a coal miner!
Posted on: July 13, 2007 6:59 AM