Denver firefighter awarded more than $600,000

Firefighter, 53, fired after allegedly stealing a cookbook from a local store

A firefighter in Colorado who was fired after allegedly stealing a cookbook from a grocery store has been awarded more than $600,000 US in damages by a jury.

William Cadorna, 53, claimed age discrimination after the City of Denver refused to rehire him after the charges were dropped, according to a report in the Rocky Mountain News. Cadorna, who had been on the job since 1976, was awarded $100,000 US for lost wages due to the wrongful dismissal and an additional $510,571 US for the city’s refusal to reinstate him as a firefighter.

Mark Brennan, the lawyer representing Cadorna, told the Rocky Mountain News that the ruling was a “stunning judgment, really better than we expected.”

Cadorna had been planning to retire in 2008, Brennan said.

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