In mid-2021, a federal jury in Portland, Ore., awarded $2.4 million in damages to Suzanne Ivie, a former AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals sales manager who was fired after raising concerns about the drug giant’s marketing tactics and alleged discriminatory actions.
This summer, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit confirmed Ivie’s courtroom victory, reversing an order by a trial judge who had rebuffed the jury’s verdict. After hearing arguments from both sides in November 2022, the appeals court found that the lower-level judge had erred by overruling the jurors and handing AstraZeneca a win regardless.
“We agree with Ivie,” a panel of appellate judges said in an opinion issued on May 19, 2023. The same panel also rejected AstraZeneca’s requests for rehearing, formally sending the matter back to the trial court on July 26, 2023.
The next step at the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon will be to resume the consideration of post-trial motions. That process remains on hold for now, however, pending AstraZeneca’s possible escalation of the matter to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Ivie is represented by The Employment Law Group® law firm.
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Case Information
Ivie v. AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals, LP
No. 21-35978
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
Appeal filed on November 24, 2021
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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.
