A federal jury has awarded $650,000 to a Bulgarian janitor who was fired by a Bellevue businessman after being told he had to learn English or lose his job.

Yordan Petrov sued James D. Hebert and his wife, former King County Councilwoman Cynthia Sullivan, for discrimination, retaliation and withheld wages after he was summarily fired from Hebert Research after being ordered to take an English-as-a-second-language class after he’d been working for the company for five years without complaint.

The judgment, entered earlier this month after a four-day jury trial before U.S. District Judge James Robart in August, included $300,000 for state and federal retaliation claims, and $350,000 in punitive damages against Hebert and the company. The jury was unable to reach a verdict on discrimination claims alleged by Petrov.

“This is a very large judgment, particularly in a case involving a low-wage employee,” said Petrov’s attorney, Elizabeth Hanley.

More at source: Seattle Times

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