$757,000 judgment against JFD nixed

The Clarion-Ledger, 4/9/8

Female Jackson firefighters who successfully sued the city for $757,000 over alleged sexual harassment by male supervisors will have to argue their case a second time.

Citing jury error and attorney misconduct, U.S. District Judge Henry Wingate threw out the $757,000 jury award to three former and one current female firefighters who said they were sexually harassed.

In an 11-page opinion filed last week, Wingate threw out the award and ordered a new trial based on a city of Jackson motion.

Chief Assistant City Attorney Pieter Teeuwissen said Wingate’s ruling Tuesday was on the mark and the city appreciates his review of the events during trial.