A jury awarded $3.2 million in damages to a former warehouse employee at Loma Linda (Calif.) University Medical Center who says he was harassed for years by his supervisors and ultimately fired because of his Islamic beliefs, according to the Orange County Register.
The award was given to 44-year-old Hugo Lizarraga, who worked in the hospital's warehouse for 20 years. The verdict was announced Nov. 5.
Mr. Lizarraga was subjected to religious and disability discrimination by his supervisors and employees in the hospital's human resources department for over six years, according to the lawsuit filed in September 2016.
The suit says Mr. Lizarraga worked at the hospital for over 10 years without experiencing harassment but started to encounter hostility from his supervisors in 2012 after he converted to Islam, broke his thumb on the job and was placed on modified duty by his physician.
Loma Linda disagrees with the jury's verdict, a hospital spokesperson said.
"LLU Medical Center did not discharge the employee because of his religious beliefs, but because of his reported threatening conduct," the spokesperson said. "LLU Medical Center complies with and honors federal and state law regarding discrimination and harassment and does not tolerate it in the workplace."
It is not clear whether the hospital plans to appeal the jury verdict.