Otto May of Cherry Valley was awarded $4.2 million in total damages Thursday from Chrysler Group LLC by a federal jury who believed the company did not do enough to stop years of religious and ethnic harassment.
The 60-year-old May filed the lawsuit against Chrysler in 2002. He is a pipe fitter at the company’s Belvidere assembly plant and has worked for Chrysler for nearly 22 years.
“I’m glad the jury believed me,” May said minutes after the verdict was read. “That’s all I really wanted — for them to believe that it happened.”
May is a Cuban-born jew the Register Star first wrote about in 2005. He said in his suit that he took abuse for years from co-workers, including being called an “import from Cuba,” having his tires shredded by homemade spikes and having messages such as “Kill Jew. Heil Hitler” scribbled on his locker.
His case took several twists along the way. One of his claims was dismissed in 2007. That same year his first attorney died. Karen Doran of Wheaton and Deanne Medina of Oak Park then took on his case.
In 2009, the case was continued while Chrysler reorganized in bankruptcy. He also turned down offers to settle before the week-long trial.
“There were a lot of times I felt like throwing in the towel, but my faith in God and how I was brought up to know right from wrong kept me going,” May said.
The jury awarded May $709,000 in compensatory damages and $3.5 million in punitive damages.
The jury award may be the second largest award in Winnebago County history. Back in 2000, a Winnebago County jury awarded a couple $3.8 million in a medical malpractice case. The largest local award was a $10.23 million verdict to a family whose daughter was born with brain damage and cerebral palsy, the result, the jury found, of inappropriate care just before the birth.
congrats on the win, for keeping with the suit, not backing down, your persistence and of course for believing in God. Glad to hear you turned down settlement offers. Use the money for good cause. Be smart with it and don’t go bankrupt like lotto winners… Read, or listen to Dave Ramsey and his Finance advice… Good stuff.
I hope Otto gets every dime (minus those darn atty fees) he was awarded. I have been harassed many times because of my ethnicity, also Jewish. I was once told by my employer that if he had known I was a Jew before he hired me, he wouldn’t have!!! He came right out and said that to my face. He was sure no one overheard it because it was said in his office with the door closed.
After that I was made a pariah in my office environment (no one wanted to cross him) until I just left my job 2 years later.
I have to give Otto credit, he put up with this a LONG time–I chose not to. I couldn’t stick it out myself……too much pressure every minute of the day!!
I am glad his atty stuck by him too!!
i hope he gets every penny. i will never own a chrysler product, now that i know this happened to him.
welcome to america..
I will not only never again by Chrysler, but I am appealed that a local law firm would represent them in this matter. Law firms can, and often do, turn down cases for a variety of reasons. No one would have thought twice if WillamsMcCarthy had chosen not to represent Chrysler in this matter. It is a shame that instead they pulled every dirty trick in the book. Despite Chrysler’s clear lack of ethics in this issues, and WillamsMcCarthy’s dubious conduct a rare thing happened in a court of law: Justice! Well done Otto May!
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So when Chrysler asks for bail out money, and talks about what a corner stone it is to our economy, we should all remember that this is how they treat their employees. The people who did this, and everyone who tried very hard to help them get away with it (Chrysler HR, lawyers, and others) should all be ashamed. As for the rest of us we should be very proud that the outcome was this good.
Dont believe everything you read.