DETROIT, Dec. 15 (UPI) -- A federal judge has upheld the dismissal of a $4.4 million jury award to a Michigan veteran who says he was teased about his missing hand at his civilian job.
The three-judge panel of the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the lower-court judge did not abuse his authority by tossing out the award in favor of a plan to move James McKelvey into a new job at its Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command near Detroit.
McKelvey, 40, of Macomb Township had sued after he said his boss and co-workers at the command ridiculed him about his disability. The Detroit Free Press said McKelvey lost his hand in Iraq in 2004 and was given a job at the command by the U.S. Army two years later.
The original jury verdict was thrown out at the district court level in favor of the Army's offer to reinstate McKelvey in a higher-paying position. He would also receive $100,000 in back pay, his attorney told the newspaper.
Meantime, McKelvey found another job with Oakland County, which he said provided a more hospitable environment.
