Jury awards $1.1 million to animal control officer after retaliatory discharge

The Free Press reported today that a Macomb County jury on Monday awarded Ann Marie Rogers $1.1 million dollars after Sterling Heights police retaliated against her for complaining about a co-worker's harassment.  After Rogers complained about the behavior of a coworker with whom she had previously had a brief relationship, the co-worker was suspended without pay and ultimately resigned.  After the co-worker resigned, Rogers was charged with allegedly retaliatory departmental violations and criminal charges over euthanizing animals.  She was told the criminal charges would be dropped if she resigned.  When she didn't resign, she was fired and the jury agreed with Rogers that the firing was in retaliation for reporting the harassment.