Former Hanford manager gets $8M jury award for retaliation

RICHLAND, Wash. -- A former manager at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation has been awarded $8.1 million for retaliation and discrimination.

A Benton County Superior Court jury made the award Tuesday to Julie Atwood, who was forced to resign from U.S. Department of Energy contractor Mission Support Alliance in 2013.

The Tri-City Herald reported that Atwood filed a civil lawsuit against the contractor and one of its vice presidents, Steve Young, who also is the mayor of Kennewick.

The jury found that Mission Support Alliance retaliated and discriminated against Atwood, and that Young aided and abetted.

The verdict includes $2.1 million in lost wages and benefits. The remaining $6 million is for emotional harm.

The jury reached the verdict after deliberating less than a day, following nearly three weeks of testimony.