Top Plaintiffs' Verdicts by Dollar: Juarez v. AutoZone Stores Inc.

Lawrance A. Bohm outdid his previous record for the largest employment verdict for a single plaintiff in 2014, exceeding a $167 million judgment obtained in 2012 with a $185.8 million judgment in November.

A Southern District of California jury awarded the record amount to fired store manager Rosario Juarez against AutoZone Stores for gender and pregnancy discrimination. Juarez v. AutoZone Stores Inc., 08-CV417 (S.D. Cal., filed March 5, 2008).

Juarez became pregnant while working as a store manager. A few months later, she was demoted to assistant manager and placed in a different store, losing her bonuses and overtime pay. She was fired by AutoZone because she was allegedly not trustworthy.

Bohm said the conduct of AutoZone was so reprehensible that the verdict should be known eponymously as the "Juarez Award," declaring that women are equals in the workplace, that they have a right to work while pregnant, and that retaliation will not be tolerated.

Bohm urged jurors to send a message to the company's board of directors with its verdict.

The jury award included a whopping $185 million in punitive damages, an amount many legal observers expect to be trimmed and that AutoZone's attorneys argued was "monstrous."

Littler Mendelson PC shareholder Nancy E. Pritikin represents the company. She did not return calls for comment.

"We believe this verdict could not be based on the evidence or logic, and we plan to proceed with all legal remedies," the company said in a statement.

Pritikin filed a motion for a new trial as well as a motion for a judgment as a matter of law.

The jury deliberated one day before reaching its verdict. The remainder of the verdict was for compensatory damages, including emotional distress.

- DEIRDRE NEWMAN