San Diego jury awards $18M to fired Allstate employee

SAN DIEGO – A former Allstate Insurance Co. employee who was fired following an arrest has been awarded more than $18 million in damages.

The San Diego Union-Tribune reports a San Diego jury awarded 55-year-old Michael Tilkey about $2.6 million in actual damages and nearly $16 million in punitive damages in his in wrongful termination lawsuit.

Tilkey was fired by Allstate in 2016 after he was arrested in Arizona the prior year following an argument he had with his then-girlfriend. Charges against him were later dismissed.

His attorney Joann Rezzo says the firing violated state labour law, which prohibits employers from considering arrest records that don’t result in a conviction when considering termination.

An Allstate spokeswoman says the company disagrees with the verdict and plans to appeal.

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Information from: The San Diego Union-Tribune, http://www.utsandiego.com