T.J. Simers sued the L.A. Times two years ago after they fired him. He claimed he was axed because of his age and a minor stroke he suffered while covering the Dodgers’ and Anaheim Angel’s spring training. Simers, who is 63 years old, said after the stroke, he was diagnosed with complex migraine syndrome and the Times used it as an excuse to make it difficult for him at work, cutting his columns from three to two a week and pretty much transforming him into a desk blogger.
The Times insists that he resigned after a being offered a one year contract at a different salary and Simers breached its ethical standards by promoting a friend’s business for profit while filming a piece on Dwight Howard.
The court ultimately rewarded Simers today with $7.1M for his troubles following a six week trial after he was asking as much as $12.3M. The L.A. Times thought they had a strong case against their former beat writer but at this moment I’m sure they wished they had settled.