Archive for the ‘Court Rulings’ Category


First U.S. “Bullying” Trial

Friday, May 15th, 2009

Doescher vs. Raess, Indiana, Marion County (Indianapolis), March 2005

Jury found Dr. Raess guilty of battery, awarded plaintiff Doescher $325,000

Expert witness:  Dr. Gary Namie, WBI

Appellate Court reversal

2008 Indiana Supreme Court restoral of trial verdict and award for plaintiff

Read the entire story and view the Supreme Court hearing

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Posted in Bullying Tutorials, Court Rulings, Social Justice | No Archived Comments | Post A Comment () »



Helen Green Wins Court Victory – UK

Thursday, May 14th, 2009

British Worker Awarded £800,000 (US$1.5 million) in Bullying Payout
August 2, 2006

A City (London) worker has won £800,000 in damages from Deutsche Bank in a landmark workplace bullying case. The award is said by legal experts to be particularly high and likely to be appealed.

High Court judge Justice Owen said that the campaign at the secretariat division of the international banking firm Deutsche Bank Group Services (UK) Ltd. against Helen Green involved a “relentless campaign of mean and spiteful behaviour designed to cause her distress” that left Green on some occasions crying silently at her desk. She worked there from 1997 to 2001.

Owen awarded her a total of $1.5 million for pain and suffering and loss of past and future earnings. He also ordered the bank to pay her legal costs, beginning with an interim payment of $650,000.

The largest part of the award is the £640,000 awarded for future loss of earnings and a pension, and it is this portion which marks the case out as unusual.

“We have seen cases like this before a number of times but the court has awarded such a large amount because it took the view that this person would not be able to work at this salary level for a long time in the future,” said Tom Potbury, a lawyer specialising in employment law at Pinsent Masons. (more…)

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Posted in Court Rulings, Employer Action/Inaction, Health Care | 1 Archived Comment | Post A Comment () »



Emelise Aleandri

Thursday, May 14th, 2009

Sometimes people think that the only people targeted for bullying are weak. In adulthood, that is rarely true. Most of the time, targets are superior performers, stars. Here is one case illustrating the situation where the insecure (and very short napoleonic) bully targeted the more talented and gifted (but subordinate) woman.

Dr. Emelise Aleandri was one of two victorious plaintiffs in a lawsuit against City University of New York. Her bully, Joseph Scelsa, degraded this professional woman, stole her creative works and subjected her to humiliation at an institution of higher education in such a way that Dr. Gary Namie, expert witness in the case, described his outrageous conduct as the worst he had read about nationally. Scelsa treated Aleandri as a worthless person. Obviously, there is a different, objective realistic way to characterize the accomplished woman.

Read about Dr. Aleandri’s lawsuit against the City University of New York (CUNY) that settled for $1.4 million.

(more…)

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Posted in Bullying Tutorials, Court Rulings | 6 Archived Comments | Post A Comment () »



RCMP Pays $1 Million for Harassment

Wednesday, May 13th, 2009

Ex-RCMP Officer Harassed on Job Gets $1 Million
Staff sergeant, 2 other officers caused woman ‘serious psychological harm,’ judge rules

By Gerry Bellett
Vancouver Sun
Tuesday, January 24, 2006

MERRITT – A former Merritt RCMP officer has been awarded almost $1 million in damages after harassment by her commanding officer caused her to become clinically depressed and led to her quitting the force.

(more…)

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Posted in Court Rulings, Social Justice | 16 Archived Comments | Post A Comment () »



Bully Principal Costs Fortune

Monday, April 6th, 2009

Do the math to see how much the bullying principal, two assistant district superintendents (including the HR person) and compliance director cost the district.

$119,957 — 2004 arbitration won by Northcutt
$225,000 — 2005 settlement won by Northcutt
$60,475 (est.) 10 years district contribution to her retirement
$35,200 (est.) 10 years health and welfare benefits for Northcutt
$104,956 — district legal expenses, all designed to enable bullying without consequences

$545,588 the total expense for ONE bully principal and 3 supportive district personnel !!! (more…)

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Posted in Court Rulings | 15 Archived Comments | Post A Comment () »



Trends: Putting a Stop to Medical Road Rage

Saturday, January 17th, 2009

By Melissa Knopper Clinician Reviews January 17, 2009

Joseph Doescher and Daniel Raess worked side by side in the operating room at St. Francis Hospital in Beech Grove, Indiana. Doescher and the other perfusionists often had to put up with yelling, swearing, and belittling comments from Raess, the heart surgeon. Finally, Doescher reported the behavior to his supervisor. Raess got wind of it and retaliated.

In subsequent court proceedings, Doescher described looking up at Raess’ red face and popping veins. He was afraid Raess was going to hit him. In the end, Doescher left his job with a debilitating case of depression. Later, he sued Raess and was awarded $325,000 in compensatory (but not punitive) damages.

Shortly after the Indiana Supreme Court decided this high-profile medical case, the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) issued a safety alert, requiring hospitals to adopt a zero-tolerance policy toward workplace bullying.

(more…)

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Posted in Bullying in the News, Court Rulings, Health Care | 4 Archived Comments | Post A Comment () »



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