Aldous Law Firm: UT Southwestern Ordered to Pay $3.6 Million in Federal Employment Discrimination Case

DALLAS, May 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Attorney Charla G.Aldous of the Aldous Law Firm in Dallas is announcing an employment discrimination verdict against the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center.

Ms. Aldous represented Dr. Naiel Nassar in his claims against UT Southwestern. The jury in U.S. District Judge Jane Boyle's court found that the hospital discriminated and retaliated against Dr. Nassar because of his race and religion, and awarded him $3.6 million in damages.

A Muslim and Egyptian native, Dr. Nassar began working for UT Southwestern in 2001, where he was a well-respected physician in the hospital's HIV Clinic. He is double board certified in internal medicine and infectious disease medicine.

At trial, jurors heard evidence that Dr. Nassar became a target of systemic discrimination under Dr. Beth Levine, Chief of Infectious Disease Medicine, beginning in 2004. Attorneys alleged that Dr. Levine made numerous discriminatory comments about Dr. Nassar and other physicians of various racial and religious backgrounds.

Trial testimony also showed that Dr. Levine delayed promoting Dr. Nassar based on his race and religious beliefs. Subsequently, Dr. Nassar resigned from UT Southwestern to take a new position at Parkland Hospital. In a letter of resignation to Dr. J. Gregory Fitz, Dean of the UT Southwestern School of Medicine and Executive Vice-President for Academic Affairs. Dr. Nassar made it clear that he was resigning because of ongoing racial and religious discrimination.

Drs. Levine and Fitz then worked to block Dr. Nassar from taking the new position at Parkland Hospital by refusing to give him a favorable recommendation and warning Parkland not to hire him. Because of these coordinated efforts to undermine his offer from Parkland, Dr. Nassar was forced to take a position at a hospital and medical school in California.

Following a six-day trial and forty-five minutes of deliberation, jurors found that UT Southwestern constructively discharged Dr. Nassar because of his race, religion or national origin, and retaliated against him by objecting to his potential employment at Parkland Hospital.

Ms. Aldous was assisted at trial by Brian Lauten of the Dallas law firm Sawicki & Lauten.

The verdict in Naiel Nassar, M.D. v. University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, et al., No. 3:08-cv-1337, was reached May 26, 2010, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas.

The Aldous Law Firm represents clients in general civil litigation, personal injury, medical malpractice, products liability and wrongful death lawsuits. More information about the firm can be found at www.aldouslaw.com.

For more information, contact Alan Bentrup at 800-559-4534 or [email protected].

SOURCE Aldous Law Firm