ANAHEIM : Worker Assaulted by Boss Wins $446,000
A jury awarded $446,000 Thursday to a loan officer who accused an employer of assaulting her after she demanded payment for unpaid work.
Rebecca Lawrence, 48, alleged in her lawsuit that Patrick J. Mandarino grabbed her neck from behind as she was putting the key into her car door on Jan. 7, 1988, according to her attorney, Daniel M. Hodes of Newport Beach.
Lawrence, who was an independent contractor, had walked into Mandarino’s Anaheim mortgage company office moments earlier and demanded he pay her $7,500 for work she had completed, Hodes said.
A previous Orange County Superior Court jury had found Mandarino liable for damages two years ago, but the second part of the civil trial to determine how much money Lawrence should receive was delayed after the defendant filed for bankruptcy protection, Hodes said.
The second jury decided Thursday that Lawrence should receive the $446,000 for medical expenses, pain and suffering and lost earnings, but no punitive damages, Hodes said.
The defendant’s lawyer could not be reached for comment.
Lawrence said she was disappointed the jury failed to award punitive damages.
“They have told him, ‘We are not going to punish you for what you did to this woman,’ ” she said.
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