A Fresno federal court jury on Friday awarded a fired Walgreens pharmacist $1.24 million after he claimed his allegations of Medicare billing fraud led to his firing.
Jurors awarded Sami Mitri – who was fired in January 2010 after working more than 13 years for the company in various jobs – $88,000 in general damages and $1,155,000 in punitive damages.
The verdict was reached after a nine-day trial before U.S. District Judge Anthony W. Ishii.
"The jury sent a message that Walgreens can't fire a whistle-blower," Mitri's attorney Andrew Jones said. "This guy is a hero who came forward and stood up for taxpayers like you and me. He stood up for what is right."