Knoxville, TN – A federal appeals court says a $1 damages award to a Muslim state trooper fired after a military liaison falsely accused him of terrorist sympathies was “wholly inadequate.”
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The Knoxville News Sentinel reports (http://bit.ly/1Vd7ON0) the 6th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals on Tuesday ordered the lower court to consider a more appropriate damages award for De’Ossie Dingus.
U.S. District Court Judge Tena Campbell previously found that the Tennessee Department of Safety discriminated against Dingus because of his religion.
In order to receive damages, a plaintiff must show that the discrimination caused emotional distress.
Campbell awarded Dingus only a symbolic $1 in damages, primarily because Dingus did not seek counseling or other psychological treatment.
The 6th Circuit says Dingus clearly presented evidence of emotional distress.
What kind of cockamamie law is that? He was unjustly FIRED–therefore, unjustly deprived of the wages he should have been allowed to earn. He should be allowed to recoup that, plus punitive damages.