Johnson Controls Stuck With $900,000 Default Loss in Job Suit

A Johnson Controls Inc. employee in Missouri can keep the $900,000 he was awarded on his workers’ compensation discrimination and retaliation claims after the company failed to timely appear in the case, a state appeals court said.

The ruling Tuesday by the Missouri Court of Appeals, Western District may be a cautionary tale for employers on the handling of legal claims once they arrive in house. Johnson Controls couldn’t escape the default judgment a trial judge entered in favor of David Steele, because the building products and technologies company failed to back up its explanation that the case was mislabeled ...