ST CHARLES COUNTY, Mo. – One man will receive more than half a million dollars after a jury sided with him in a wrongful termination lawsuit out of St. Charles County.

After a three-day trial, a jury sided with a former St. Charles County employee in a civil lawsuit alleging that the county discriminated around him due to a disability.

The Dashtaki Law Firm announced a $527,000 verdict on Friday, but did not disclose the former employee’s name.

According to the law firm, a 13-year former employee of the County’s Highway Department was fired in 2018 after he requested workplace accommodations related to his disability. That former employee reported disability discrimination to St. Charles County’s Human Resources Department.

“It is particularly disturbing when the government, of all employers, refuses to reasonably accommodate an employee’s disability,” said Cyrus Dashtaki, who represented the employee. “I am extremely proud of this St. Charles County jury. As the voice of the community, their verdict sends a clear reminder to all employers, private or public, that discrimination and retaliation will not be tolerated in St. Charles County.”

The lawsuit argued that St. Charles County violated the Missouri Human Rights Act (MHRA) when it refused to provide a reasonable accommodation and retaliated against the employee after he reported disability discrimination.