UPPER MARLBORO, Md. (May 16, 2022) — A Maryland jury today held that the Prince George’s County Memorial Library System acted illegally when it fired its human resources director in 2019. It awarded Jeffrey Naftal more than $300,000 in damages.
The six-person jury found that Mr. Naftal’s firing violated both the Maryland Fair Employment Practices Act and the Prince George’s County Code, discriminating against him based on his age, sex, and race.
Mr. Naftal is represented by The Employment Law Group® law firm.
In the three years prior to his termination, Mr. Naftal had never been disciplined or received negative evaluations. Despite a library practice that requires step-by-step or “progressive” discipline — and a county code that allows firing only for a few specific reasons — the library’s CEO dismissed Mr. Naftal without warning after he recommended the suspension of an employee with attendance problems.
“Jeff is a highly competent public servant who was just doing his job,” said R. Scott Oswald, managing principal of The Employment Law Group, who served as Mr. Naftal’s lead lawyer at trial. “We are grateful that this jury recognized that. Discrimination is discrimination, period.”
2024 UPDATE: The Prince George’s County Memorial Library System appealed the jury’s verdict to the Appellate Court of Maryland, which vacated the judgment and remanded the case for a second trial. The parties resolved the matter before the new trial was scheduled.
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Case Information
Naftal v. Prince George’s County Memorial Library System
Case No. CAL19-26429
Circuit Court for Prince George’s County, Maryland
Complaint filed on August 8, 2019 (available here)
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About The Employment Law Group
The Employment Law Group® law firm represents whistleblowers and other employees who stand up to wrongdoing in the workplace. Based in Washington, D.C., the firm takes cases nationwide.
