A towel maker will earn $125 million after being unfairly fired

The New York Times reported that an American woman will receive $125 million in compensation for being unfairly dismissed from her job.

Marlowe Spaeth, who has had Down syndrome for 15 years, has worked at the Walmart chain, famous for her job folding towels, cleaning aisles, greeting customers and handling returns.

Her working hours changed abruptly in November 2014, when the company she works for created a computerized scheduling system, which the company says is based on customer traffic and is designed to ensure enough people are working when the store is most crowded.

The sudden change made it difficult for Marlowe, whose lawyer confirmed that she has Down syndrome and thrives on routine, so she has repeatedly tried to restore her old schedule.

According to court records, Amy Jo Stevenson, the sister and guardian of Marlowe, told the company manager that she was afraid to miss the bus, and that she was afraid to miss dinner, which was very annoying for her, adding: “She may also have a temperature, and she says she She feels sick, she can't handle it, so we urgently need to bring back her old work schedule.”

The company responded with no, and has twice taken "disciplinary action" against Marlowe for absenteeism and tardiness at the store, which was open 24 hours a day and employed more than 300 employees.

Over time, the company fired Marlowe, for what it described as excessive absenteeism.

Subsequently, Marlowe, her mother and her sister met with the company's managers, and asked to re-hire her, and allow her to return to the old work schedule, but the company refused to re-hire her, even though her termination letter said she could be hired again, according to her lawyer.

Then Marlowe sued the company.

After the lawsuit was deliberated, a jury in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin ruled that the company violated the Americans of Determination Act, which prohibits discrimination based on employee disability, and awarded Marlowe $125 million in punitive damages, and $150,000 in damages for losses and damages. .

Follow our latest local and sports news and the latest political and economic developments via Google news