James Nichols v. Material Delivery Services, Inc.:

On January 15, 2009, a Shelby County jury returned a verdict against an employer and assessed $75,000.00 in compensatory damages and $225,000.00 in punitive damages. At trial, it was the position of the employee that he was fired solely in retaliation for filing a workers’ compensation claim which is not allowed in Alabama. It was the position of the employer that he was actually fired for waiting 6 hours to report his injury and not solely because he made a workers’ compensation claim. The employer has 42 days from the date of the verdict to file an appeal.