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03-06-2013, 02:16 PM
KCTV5 - Kansas City @KCTV5
Jury rules in favor of Chiefs for age discrimination case http://bit.ly/YYSOSM
A Jackson County jury ruled early Wednesday afternoon in favor of the Kansas City Chiefs in a civil age discrimination case.
The jury finished deliberation about 1:45 p.m. , deciding if a former Chiefs employee was wrongfully fired because of his age.
The trial began last month in the Independence courthouse.
Steven Cox, now 63, was maintenance manager for the Chiefs. He says he was fired two years ago because of his age. He is seeking nearly $500,000 in damages plus back pay and benefits in addition to punitive damages.
Former Chiefs general manager Scott ***** and his testimony play a key role in the case.
Cox was employee of the month in 2009 and received glowing performance reviews. He contends he was fired so that a man in his 30s, who is a relative of a front office executive, could be hired.
Owner Clark Hunt thanked Cox for his 12 years of service in a letter shared with the jury. The Chiefs say Cox was fired because he raised a janitor's pay by $5,000 even though he did not have the authority to do so and was told not to.
"They presented not one shred of evidence that the Chiefs terminated this man based on his age," Chiefs attorney Tony Romano said.
He said the claims could not be substantiated and the attorneys "haven't fooled you and pulled the wool over your eyes by invoking sympathy."
Lewis Galloway, Cox's attorney, told jurors to send Hunt a message.
"You can tell him that what happened to Steve Cox was wrong and you knew it. And they all knew it, and Steve Cox should never had to go through this whole miserable process in order to prove it," Galloway said.
Jurors ended their deliberations at 5 p.m. Tuesday without a decision. They resumed deliberations Wednesday morning.
Jury rules in favor of Chiefs for age discrimination case http://bit.ly/YYSOSM
A Jackson County jury ruled early Wednesday afternoon in favor of the Kansas City Chiefs in a civil age discrimination case.
The jury finished deliberation about 1:45 p.m. , deciding if a former Chiefs employee was wrongfully fired because of his age.
The trial began last month in the Independence courthouse.
Steven Cox, now 63, was maintenance manager for the Chiefs. He says he was fired two years ago because of his age. He is seeking nearly $500,000 in damages plus back pay and benefits in addition to punitive damages.
Former Chiefs general manager Scott ***** and his testimony play a key role in the case.
Cox was employee of the month in 2009 and received glowing performance reviews. He contends he was fired so that a man in his 30s, who is a relative of a front office executive, could be hired.
Owner Clark Hunt thanked Cox for his 12 years of service in a letter shared with the jury. The Chiefs say Cox was fired because he raised a janitor's pay by $5,000 even though he did not have the authority to do so and was told not to.
"They presented not one shred of evidence that the Chiefs terminated this man based on his age," Chiefs attorney Tony Romano said.
He said the claims could not be substantiated and the attorneys "haven't fooled you and pulled the wool over your eyes by invoking sympathy."
Lewis Galloway, Cox's attorney, told jurors to send Hunt a message.
"You can tell him that what happened to Steve Cox was wrong and you knew it. And they all knew it, and Steve Cox should never had to go through this whole miserable process in order to prove it," Galloway said.
Jurors ended their deliberations at 5 p.m. Tuesday without a decision. They resumed deliberations Wednesday morning.