Law 360 reports [subscription required] that a Florida federal court jury on Monday awarded $36,000 for lost wages, $500,000 for emotional pain and $21 million in punitive damages to a Hilton Hotel dishwasher who was fired for swapping shifts with co-workers to allow her to have Sundays off for religious reasons. Plaintiff was a member of the Catholic missionary group, Soldiers of Christ Church. Florida has a statutory cap on damages which will lead to the court’s reducing punitive damages. [Thanks to Douglas Laycock via Religionlaw for the lead.]
