Court Cuts Worker's $2.6 Million Punitive Damages Award on Retaliatory Discharge Claim

The Illinois Appellate Court slashed an injured worker’s $2.6 million punitive damages award by $1.2 million, finding the original amount was unconstitutionally excessive. Case: Francek v. Dominick’s Finer Foods, No. 1-16-2574, 09/26/2017, unpublished. Facts and procedural history: Fred Grabs and Rudolph Francek both worked for Dominick’s Finer Foods, a subsidiary of Safeway Inc. Both men suffered work-related injuries and were fired for failing to report to work after an independent medical examiner cleared them to return to their jobs. Grabs and Francek fi...