This web page focuses on unlawful termination cases and settlements in Maryland. It is very unusual for good cases to go to court, because they usually reach settlement out of the courtroom.
Many of these litigation cases consist of mixed settlements, meaning that they involved 1, or several claims of unlawful termination attributable to sexual orientation, gender expression or gender identity discrimination, race, color, national origin, religion discrimination, breach of employment contract, gender discrimination, workplace retaliation, constructive discharge or firing in violation of public policy.
The table displayed shows an overview of the different types of claims filed and also their volumes in the state of MD in 2017.
| State | 2017 Total Charges | % of Total USA Charges | Race | Sex | Natl Origin | Religion | Color | Retaliation All Statutes | TVII Retaliation | Age | Disability | EPA | GINA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maryland | 2374 | 2.80% | 887 | 693 | 254 | 81 | 104 | 1150 | 980 | 431 | 617 | 25 | 7 |
Source: https://www1.eeoc.gov/eeoc/statistics/enforcement/state_17.cfm
Wrongful discharge and discrimination cases & settlements in Maryland
$ 35,000
8/12/2010
EEOC v Axiom Staffing Group, Inc.
The Americans with Disabilities Act protects job applicants just as much as it does employees.
Such was the case with Deborah Reynolds, who sought employment with Axiom Staffing. She applied for a clerical job, and had years of experience with customer service and clerical duties.
She had a back impairment, and when she applied for a clerical job with the company, she was told that she would be “too much of a liability because of her back”.
Discrimination at the workplace based on a disability violates the ADA. She reported the event to the EEOC, who sued the company on her behalf. The case was settled with a consent decree, $35,000 was paid to Reynolds. Source
$ 1,650,000
6/30/2011
Allen W. Cartwright, Jr. v. Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission
Allen Cartwright was chief of customer care at the WSSC. He is African-American.
In 2005, after working for the agency for 6 years, he was asked to take a demotion because the General Manager of WSSC “did not want African-Americans in management positions”. He refused, and was fired as a result.
Alleging wrongful termination due to racial discrimination, he sued the WSSC for violating Title VII. After 6 years in court, a jury awarded him $359,000 in lost wages and back pay, the rest for non-economic damages. Source
$ 637,000
11/25/2011
James K. Sillers v. Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission
In another case brought against the WSSC, the exact opposite happened as in the Cartwright case.
James Sillers was a white manager working for the agency from 1975 until 2007. He was forced to resign through constructive discharge. He alleged that at the time of his employment with the WSSC, the agency sought to reduce the number of white managers and replace them with minorities. He was demoted to a lesser role, and eventually resigned.
He sued the WSSC for constructive discharge and racial discrimination, and was awarded over $600,000. It’s interesting to note that his lawyer, Timothy F. Maloney, was also the lawyer for Cartwright in his case against the WSSC. Source
$ 200,000
8/22/2016
EEOC v R.V. Associates Limited (Windsow Inn)
Sexual harassment of female workers was an everyday event at Windsor Inn in Baltimore. The owner of the business, Dimitrios Vangelakos, engaged in unwelcome sexual touching of female employees and made sexually offensive comments.
When one of the workers filed a report with the EEOC, he suspended her in retaliation and reduced her hours. He even forced one of the employees to perform oral sex while a handgun was visible in his office. This worker was forced to quit her job, since she understandably couldn’t bare the hostile work environment.
The EEOC sued the company on behalf of the women, which resulted in a consent decree. The women would receive a settlement of $200,000. Source
$ 179,576
4/27/2017
EEOC v Medstar Harbor Hospital Inc.
Jerome Alston worked as a respiratory therapist at Medstar Harbor Hospital. He underwent a kidney transplant, and has to take medication which weakens his immune system, thus increasing his risk of infection.
Alston asked the hospital to accommodate his condition, which was initially granted. Alston was exempted from having to work in isolation rooms, which trap infectious materials. This work-around was standard procedure for employees who requested it. However, later on, Alston was denied this accommodation, and was abruptly fired instead.
He reported the events to the EEOC, which sued the hospital for violating the Americans with Disabilities Act, as it did not provide reasonable accommodation and wrongfully terminated the man. The case was settled with a consent decree and Alston received a settlement of $180k. Source
$ 500,000
6/23/2017
Kelly Wallace v Montgomery County Schools
Kelly Wallace worked at Montgomery County High School as a health and PE teacher from 2010 to 2014.
Her contract was not renewed for the 2014/2015 school year. She alleged that the reason it was not renewed was that she filed a Title IX complaint against the school district in 2013, where she highlighted the major differences between the boys and girls weight rooms.
In retaliation for filing the report, district superintendent Josh Powell made sure her contract would not be renewed.
She filed a lawsuit against the school district. The case was settled for $500,000. Source
$ 202,200
6/27/2016
EEOC v. Pallet Companies (IFCO Systems)
In one of the first sexual orientation discrimination lawsuits, a woman received a settlement of over $180,000 for wrongful termination due to retaliation and discrimination.
IFCO Systems is a company based out of Baltimore. One of it’s supervisors repeatedly harassed a lesbian worker because of her sexual orientation and appearance. He would say “You would look good in a dress” and “I want to turn you back into a woman”, while making sexually suggestive gestures.
The woman reported the harassment to management, but she was fired just a few days after her report. This violates Title VII, and after she contacted the EEOC, the organization sued the IFCO on her behalf.
This wrongful termination lawsuit resulted in a consent decree. The woman received a settlement of $182,000, and the company also donated $20,000 to the Human Rights Campaign Foundation. Source
$ 400,000
3/4/2005
Fred W. Kuehnl v Warfield-Rohr Casket Company
Fred Kuehnl had worked for 29 years at a casket wholesaler in Baltimore. He upholstered the interior of caskets, and served as foreman.
Towards the end of his employment, the company CEO started making comments about Kuehnl’s age, saying that a younger worker would better serve the company. A new 33 employee was hired, whom Kuehnl had to train. Once the new employee became well versed in the craft, Kuehnl was fired.
He contacted the EEOC, which sued the company for violating the Age Discrimination in Employment Act. After 5 years in court, a jury awarded $400,000 to Kuehnl for wrongful termination due to age discrimination. Source
$ 350,000
7/21/2012
EEOC v Endoscopic Microsurgery Associates, P.A.
Endoscopic Microsurgery Associates was a private medical practice in Baltimore. It’s CEO Dr. Mark Noar and CFO Martin Virga made repeated sexual advances towards 3 women working at the practice.
Linda Luz, receptionist, rejected the advances, for which she was disciplined and eventually fired. Jacqueline Huskins, study coordinator, and Kim Hutchinson, nurse, experienced similar sexual harassment from the employers.
The women reported the events to the EEOC, and a lawsuit was filed alleging sexual harassment and retaliation in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. A jury awarded the women $110,000 each in punitive damages, and $4,000 to $10,000 in compensatory damages. Source
This list of wrongful firing settlements and verdicts in MD is meant for informational purposes. Despite the fact that you feel similarity to any of these lawsuits, don’t forget that each situation is different.
When considering this list of unlawful termination verdicts from Maryland, keep in mind that the larger sums are the outcome of punitive damages, which are brought to prevent employers from engaging in the same kind of unlawful act. Punitive compensation is relatively rare.
The vast majority of lawsuits settle for approximately ten thousand to a few hundred thousand dollars.
Average wrongful termination settlements in Maryland
If you believe that you were wrongfully terminated, it’s understandable that you would like to find out approximately how much money you are likely to receive for your wrongful discharge case. In the event that you settle, the amount you get is generally based on these factors: mental anguish, reason of termination, lost wages, benefits lost, medical costs and job search costs. Punitive damages might also be granted in rare situations, if the workplace acted egregiously.
As can be seen from the example claims mentioned above, giving an average settlement for unlawful termination cases in MD is really difficult, given that every single case is unique.
The average wrongful termination settlement in Maryland is between $6,000 – $100,000. Lawyers continue to be helpful while working out a larger settlement.
The average court or jury awards are generally higher, between $90,000 and $350,000. This is certainly a good reason companies choose to settle outside of court.
Filing a wrongful termination or discrimination claim in Maryland
If you think you were dismissed from your job for some kind of unlawful reason, this is what to do.
Most important, you’ll want to talk to a wrongful termination law firm in Maryland in order to discover if there is a claim worth going after.
Make certain you have sufficient time to submit your claim, read the Maryland laws of limitations on wrongful termination.
Second, you’ll most likely need to file a timely claim with the EEOC in Baltimore.
Here are some pointers on filing a wrongful discharge claim.
