Livermore Lab Jury Awards $2.7 Million For Wrongful Termination

A jury has awarded more than $2.7 million to five former Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory workers in an ongoing wrongful-termination case.

The San Francisco Chronicle reported jurors awarded the workers reimbursement for their lost wages after finding that the lab had violated a contractual promise to terminate them only for “reasonable cause.” Individual damages ranged from $242,000 to $853,000.

An attorney for the plaintiffs said the employees chosen were picked for layoff ahead of others with less seniority.

Lawyers for the lab contended that managers had followed Department of Energy personnel standards

A new jury will now consider their claims of age discrimination, which could bring additional damages for emotional distress and punitive damages.

The newspaper says another 125 laid-off employees are awaiting their own trials on similar claims.