Earlier in the week, a Richmond federal court jury awarded a former employee of a trucking terminal $3.5 million on claims of race discrimination and malicious prosecution against the employer and several individual defendants.  More after the break.

The case arose from the termination and failed prosecution of the employee for an alleged theft of laptop computers at the defendant’s terminal.  The employee’s version of the facts can be read in his brief opposing the employer’s pretrial motion for summary judgment (which was denied).  The employee does present a rather compelling story of a rush to judgment by the employer and a “keystone cops” investigation — apparently the jury found it compelling as well.

Here are the verdict forms:  liability, compensatory damages, punitive damages.

It will be interesting to see whether the verdict holds up after post-trial motions by the employer or whether the case will now settle.

UPDATE:  A settlement conference has been scheduled for January 8.  Story here.