Firefighter wins $1.7M in sexual harassment suit

The jury agreed that she was fired over her gender

By John Futty
The Columbus Dispatch

ORANGE TOWNSHIP, Ohio — A woman who was fired as an Orange Township firefighter after complaining of sexual harassment by a co-worker was awarded more than $1.7 million in damages this week.

Raechel Sterud, 32, sued the Delaware County township and her supervising lieutenant, Keith Myers, in 2010, saying she was the victim of gender discrimination. After a weeklong trial, a jury in Franklin County agreed, voting 7-1 on Monday that she was fired in 2007 because of her gender and that Myers acted “with actual malice” in recommending her termination. The jurors returned a judgment of $1.67 million against the township and $75,000 against Myers.

“The verdict represents vindication for (Sterud),” her attorney, Daniel Mordarski, said yesterday. “She’s been waiting for five years for a jury to look at all the facts and indicate that what happened was wrong.”

Full story: Jury sides with woman firefighter in harassment lawsuit