An ultrasound technician was awarded a $2.2 million verdict after she was fired from a women's health clinic days before her surgery to treat a work-related injury, the Sioux City Journal reports.
In April 2018, Siouxland Women's Health Care in Sioux City, Iowa, terminated Susan Boutwell's employment because she planned to file a workers' compensation claim for time missed after her surgery, the jury found.
A week before her surgery, Ms. Boutwell said she was informed that she had been permanently replaced. She was also told that after receiving medical clearance to return to work, she could file for unemployment benefits because she no longer had a job, according to the report.
The jury's Oct. 19 verdict found that Ms. Boutwell's workers' compensation claim was the determining factor in her termination, according to the report. The clinic accepted that Ms. Boutwell injured her shoulder at work but denied firing her for filing a workers' compensation claim.
The verdict includes $1 million in punitive damages, $750,000 for emotional pain and suffering, more than $160,000 in lost wages and over $347,000 in future lost wages.
Richard Moeller, attorney for Siouxland Women's Health Care, told Becker's ASC Review that the clinic plans to file a motion for a new trial. The clinic had no further comment, Mr. Moeller said.