KALISPELL, Mont. (AP) — A federal judge has ordered BNSF Railway to pay an additional $1 million after reaffirming a $2.1 million jury award in a Montana man’s wrongful termination lawsuit.
The Flathead Beacon reports Judge Dana Christensen last week denied BNSF’s motion for a new trial and ordered the railway to pay Zachary Wooten’s attorneys’ fees and other court costs.
The Columbia Falls man sued BNSF claiming it violated federal law protecting whistleblowers and people injured on the job after he suffered severe injuries to his wrist and arm in the Whitefish rail yard in July 2015.
A federal jury awarded Wooten for lost wages, pain and suffering and punitive damages in November 2018.
A company spokesperson did not immediately provide comment to the newspaper.
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Information from: Flathead Beacon, http://www.flatheadbeacon.com