$167M awarded in wrongful termination

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A jury has awarded a Sacramento woman $167 million in her lawsuit against a hospital for workplace harassment and wrongful termination.

Former surgical physician's assistant Ani Chopourian filed the lawsuit against Mercy General Hospital for disciplining and harassing her because she complained about sexual harassment, poor patient treatment and lack of lunch breaks, the Sacramento Bee reported Thursday.

The federal court jury backed Chopourian's claim Wednesday, assessing the hospital and its parent, Catholic Healthcare West, $125 million in punitive damages and $42.7 million as compensation for lost wages, mental suffering and loss of enjoyment of life, damage to reputation and humiliation.

The hospital claimed there were "multiple issues for which [Chopourian] was written up and eventually fired," and Mercy President Denny Powell said he plans to appeal.

"We do not believe that the facts support this verdict or judgment. We stand by the actions we took in ending our relationship with this former employee," he said.

"We are committed to providing a safe working environment, free from sexual harassment and inappropriate behavior, which is backed by strong policies and practices to protect our employees. Any complaint is thoroughly investigated and prompt action is taken," Powell said.
 
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