A Los Angeles jury has awarded $103 million in damages to former Liberty Mutual senior claims manager Joy Slagel, capping a long-running wrongful termination dispute that earlier survived summary judgment after a California appellate court found triable issues of age and disability bias, retaliation and pretext.
The punitive phase verdict Friday followed a multi-week trial in which jurors unanimously found Liberty Mutual acted with malice or oppression in firing Ms. Slagel, a 30-year employee who handled major accounts including Disney, according to documents in Slagel v. Liberty Mutual.
The case stems from Ms. Slagel’s 2016 termination, which Liberty Mutual said was prompted by alleged dishonesty and falsification of records tied to a disputed social media investigation for the Disney workers compensation account.
According to court documents from a June 2023 California Court of Appeal ruling, Ms. Slagel maintained the issue was a misunderstanding — rooted in a supervisor’s earlier undocumented social media “check” — and argued management exploited the incident to push out long-tenured employees. She said she repeatedly complained that a new regional manager favored younger workers, imposed heavier workloads on older adjusters, and attempted to “get rid of” employees over 40, according to records.
The 2023 ruling revived most of Ms. Slagel’s claims, holding she had presented evidence that Liberty Mutual’s stated reason for termination could be viewed as pretextual. The panel noted her decades of positive reviews, the minor nature of the Disney incident, Liberty’s failure to interview a key witness, and the unusually severe disciplinary response. The court also found that a jury could decide whether a manager exhibiting age bias influenced HR personnel who formally approved the termination.
On remand, the matter proceeded to trial, culminating in the December damages award.
Liberty Mutual did not respond to a request for comment.