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Fired Arizona Senate staffer gets $350,000 and her job back

Posted at 12:59 PM, Oct 18, 2019
and last updated 2019-10-18 15:59:07-04

PHOENIX (AP) - A federal judge says a former Arizona Democratic legislative staffer fired four years ago is entitled to more than $350,000 in damages and should get her job back.

The ruling issued Thursday says Talonya Adams should be reinstated as a Senate policy adviser by the end of the month. A jury found earlier this year that Adams was discriminated against based on race and sex when she was fired in 2015. Adams is an African American woman.

The jury awarded Adams $1 million, but U.S. District Judge Douglas Rayes cut that down based on a cap on damages in federal civil rights laws.

Adams told The Arizona Republic that "it's great to have some finality around this ordeal." A spokesman for Senate Democrats declined to comment.