|
Arizona Republic – December 18, 2006
Go Daddy ordered to pay ex-employee $390,000
Jane Larson
SCOTTSDALE - Go Daddy Group Inc. wrongfully terminated a Muslim employee from Morocco for complaining of discrimination and must pay the man $390,000 in damages, a federal jury decided late Friday.
The jury did side with the Scottsdale-based registrar of Internet domain names on five other counts in the civil lawsuit filed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
Jurors concluded that Go Daddy decided not to promote Youssef Bouamama for other reasons, not because of his religion or national origin or because of his discrimination complaints. The jury also concluded that Go Daddy did not terminate him because of religion or national origin.
Go Daddy said Monday that it plans to appeal the retaliation decision and the damages award.
Bouamama, who now works for a Valley credit agency, said Monday that he is happy with the verdict.
"I was relieved. I believe in American justice, and I believed in the jury. They were able to find the truth," he said. . .
The EEOC filed the lawsuit against Go Daddy in 2004, alleging it had failed to promote Bouamama on the basis of his religion and national origin and in retaliation for his discrimination complaints. The lawsuit also alleged that Go Daddy terminated Bouamama based on those factors.
The case went to trial in U.S. District Court in Phoenix last week. The eight-woman jury deliberated for four hours Friday before returning the verdict.
The jury said Go Daddy must pay Bouamama $250,000 in punitive damages, $135,000 in back pay and $5,000 for emotional pain and suffering.
EEOC attorney David Lopez called the punitive damages amount "very significant." It was awarded because the jury agreed the company had acted with malice or reckless indifference to Bouamama's rights and had not made good-faith efforts to comply with anti-discrimination efforts, Lopez said…..
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/1218sr-godaddy1218-ON.html
|
