Jury awards $1.9M against Ohio city for discrimination

CLEVELAND (AP) — A federal jury has awarded a former recreation center employee nearly $1.9 million after finding that the Cleveland-area city where she worked discriminated against her because she is white and because of her anxiety and depression.

The U.S. District Court jury also found Monday that the city of Bedford Heights improperly retaliated against Charlene Thirion when she complained and asked for an accommodation for her disorder.

Thirion’s lawyers say she worked for the city for nine years and had excellent performance reviews. They say several black employees were hired after the election of Mayor Fletcher Berger in November 2007, who is black, and that Thirion was fired in September 2008 while she was on an approved medical leave.