AEROSPACE & DEFENSE

Hughes Aircraft Loses Round in Court: The state Court of Appeal in California upheld a $2.3-million award to former Hughes Aircraft employee Bobby Coffey, who sued the firm for wrongful termination after he complained about the legality of Hughes’ billing practices. A California jury returned the $2.3-million verdict in 1990, which prompted the appeal by Hughes. Coffey, a Woodland Hills resident, is temporarily working in the aerospace industry in Norway. Melanie E. Loxam, Coffey’s attorney, said the decision “would send a message not only to Hughes Aircraft but to other companies that it is not all right to cheat the government and fire employees because they blow the whistle.”