June 30, 2021
Jim Evancho
In the morning of June 30, 2021 a Federal Jury of five women and three men returned a verdict in a case of Wrongful Discharge for the plaintiff, Laura Ann Williams. The decision in the case of Laura Ann Williams v. James Coxwell and Socoper, Inc, docket number 1:16-CV-01476-KOB was finally closed when the jury returned their verdict in favor of the Plaintiff to the Honorable Judge Karon O. Bowdre.
The case stemmed from a 2015 workplace harassment complaint when Williams was employed by the Long Leaf Lodge in Anniston, Alabama. The complaint included allegations that she was retaliated against and wrongfully discharged after she utilized the proper chain of command within the business to report the harassing behavior, offensive and unwanted sexual overtures, and comments and conduct that invaded her privacy. Her employment was terminated after she filed the complaints to her supervisors.
The Plaintiff, Laura Ann Williams, was represented by attorneys Heather Leonard of Birmingham and Jason C. Odom of Anniston. The Defendants James Coxwell and Socoper, Inc. were represented by Donald Stewart and Taylor Stewart of Anniston. This case was in the Federal Court System for many years due to a number challenges that were placed before the court, including the COVID-19 pandemic. One of the other challenges that Judge Bowdre ruled on was of Coxwell’s mental competency. In the written opinion issued by the Judge she wrote “When discussing trial setting in a status conference on April 21, 2020, Plaintiff’s counsel raised concerns that delaying the trial would affect Mr. Coxwell’s testimony. In that same status conference, Defense counsel stated that Mr. Coxwell was “competent to run a business…” and that counsel “[didn’t] think there’s any question that he will be there and he’ll be able to testify to the facts in the case.” A few months later, on August 12, 2020, Defense counsel changed their position to the court and said because “[James Coxwell’s] dementia ha[d] gotten much worse since he was deposed,” Defense counsel would “have to present his testimony by deposition”.
The defense did not provide the necessary documentation to the court which led the Judge to also state Federal District Court, Northern District of Alabama, Eastern Division “For six months now, Plaintiff has been attempting to obtain medical records from 2017 so that she can determine if she should challenge Mr. Coxwell’s competency at the time of his deposition. Although they have repeatedly promised them, Defendants have not provided any medical records or even anything along the lines of the information requested—insurance records, pharmacy records, the name of the doctor who closed his practice; nor have they offered any evidence that the records do not exist, such as an affidavit from the doctor or nurse practitioner with whom they spoke stating that records could not be found and why”. The judge ruled that Coxwell’s disposition was not allowed to be used during trial.
The final verdict included $3,570 for lost wages and $1.2 million in damages for emotional pain, mental anguish and punitive damages. Both of plaintiff’s counsel expressed how gratified that Mrs. Williams felt to be vindicated by the jury’s verdict. Attorney Leonard stated, “It is great to see the jury see through the defense’s attempts to confuse the issues and recognize the truth behind our client’s claims.” Mr. Odom elaborated with “besides Mrs. Williams getting the justice she deserves, I am also proud that the Jury sent a message to this employer and others like it that they cannot treat employees in this fashion or wrongfully terminate them without being made to pay for their conduct.”
Laura Williams also issued a statement saying “I just told the jury the truth about what happened to me and asked them to be fair to me with their verdict. I am so grateful to the Judge for keeping the case moving and to the jury for their verdict. Nobody should have to suffer through what I did and I am so thankful to the jury for their verdict.”
At the time of this writing the Calhoun County Journal attempted to contact Donald Stewart and Taylor Stewart for comment but only received their law practice voicemail.
