Judge vacates $15G jury award
SCRANTON - A federal judge has vacated a $15,000 jury award to a former Susquehanna Depot police sergeant who claimed she was fired in retaliation for testifying against the father of a councilman in a criminal case.
U.S. District Judge Robert D. Mariani vacated the judgment against then-borough council Vice President William Perry Jr., who the sergeant, Laura Watson, claimed voted to terminate her because of the testimony.
Four other council members were not aware of her testimony and still voted to fire her, the judge wrote in an order handed down Tuesday.
"Judge Mariani reinforced what we believed the evidence at trial showed - specifically, that there was no basis to find liability against Mr. Perry," his attorney, Patrick Murphy, said.