FirstEnergy Beats Fired Lawyer at Trial After DEI Critique (2)

FirstEnergy Corp. won a trial in Cleveland over whether utility officials retaliated against one of its in-house labor lawyers and fired him for raising concerns about a diversity, equity, and inclusion program.

The jury returned its verdict Wednesday for FirstEnergy and against lawyer David S. Farkas following a trial in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court that began Oct. 20. It said Farkas didn’t prove that FirstEnergy intended to retaliate when it fired him.

FirstEnergy said in court filings that Farkas was fired after an investigation that showed he twice inappropriately touched a female colleague and made demeaning comments about women ...