Verdict Against Ohio Judge for Staff Attorney’s Firing Upheld

The Sixth Circuit on Tuesday upheld a seven-figure jury verdict against an Ohio judge obtained by one of his former magistrates and staff attorneys who said she faced retaliation because of her religion.

The three-judge panel from the US Court of Appeals for the Sixth District rejected all arguments made by Butler County Common Pleas Judge Greg S. Stephens and attorney Kimberly A. Edelstein to disturb a jury’s 2023 verdict, as well as a federal judge’s rulings from before and after trial.

Edelstein, who worked for Stephens from March to August 2016, said the suburban Cincinnati judge was critical of ...