Jury Awards Woman $31M in California Age Discrimination Lawsuit

A 58-year-old Southern California woman has been awarded $31 million in an age discrimination case against her former employer.

Codie Rael of Ontario sued Washington-based Danaher Corp. and two subsidiaries, claiming that Rael’s bosses repeatedly made remarks that she was “outdated,” “part of the old culture” and a “dumb female.” Rael said she quit from job stress.

City News Service reports that a jury awarded Rael $3 million in compensatory damages last week and $28 million in punitive damages Tuesday. The jury found that Rael’s former employers acted with malice, oppression or fraud.

Lawyers for the defendants say they’re considering an appeal.