Cleveland doctor awarded $28 million in age discrimination suit

CLEVELAND >> A jury has returned a verdict of more than $28 million in an age discrimination lawsuit filed by a physician against the Cleveland Clinic Foundation.

Cleveland.com reports Robert Katz, a 77-year-old ear, nose and throat doctor, alleged in his lawsuit that he’d worked nearly two decades for the hospital system until he was pressured to retire in 2015. The lawsuit said Katz complained to hospital officials when his patients were assigned to younger physicians.

Jurors in Cleveland on Friday awarded Katz $1.95 million in compensatory damages, $325,000 in damages for emotional distress and $26.4 million in punitive damages. Cleveland.com reports punitive damages will be reduced because Ohio’s tort reform law limits awards to twice the amount of compensatory damages.

Attorneys for the Cleveland Clinic declined to comment after the verdict.