Physician Assistant Wins Harassment Award ... of $168M

A former physician assistant in the cardiac unit of a Sacramento hospital apparently made a very convincing case that the surgeons there were a bunch of jerks and leches: A jury awarded her $168 million in damages for workplace harassment, believed to a record amount in the US for any single worker, reports the Los Angeles Times. Ani Chopourian filed at least 18 complaints over two years before getting fired.

Two examples: One surgeon's way of saying good morning was to declare, "I'm horny" and give her a slap on the butt, she said. Another liked to demean her Armenian heritage and would ask whether she belonged to al-Qaeda. Jurors "were just shocked by the whole workplace environment," says her attorney. Mercy General Hospital plans to appeal. (More sexual harassment stories.)