On March 19, 2026, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit affirmed a Connecticut jury’s December 2023 verdict of $770,000 for Gary Ramadei in his FMLA retaliation lawsuit. Garrison Law partner Amanda DeMatteis represented Mr. Ramadei at trial and argued the case on appeal; Garrison Law partner Josh Goodbaum and associate Meaghan Kirby participated in drafting the appellate brief.
The jury concluded that Radiall USA Inc., a France-based company with U.S. headquarters in Arizona, unlawfully retaliated against Mr. Ramadei after he exercised his rights under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act. Mr. Ramadei utilized medical leave to address pulmonary embolisms, but was then terminated two weeks after returning to work, being told that his position had been eliminated when it had actually been filled by a younger, lower-level employee. Prior to the incident, Mr. Ramadei had worked for Radiall and its predecessor for nearly three decades and had no record of poor performance.
In its appeal, Radiall argued that the lower court relied on a 2017 Second Circuit decision (Woods v. START Treatment & Recovery Center Inc.) that has since been called into question after the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2024 ruling in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo, which overturned the Chevron deference doctrine. However, the Second Circuit panel declined to consider this argument, finding that Radiall had waived it by previously requesting “that the jury be instructed on the motivating-factor standard, as reflected in its pretrial proposed jury instructions.” It also determined that the company forfeited the argument by failing to raise it before the district court.
In addition, Radiall contended that the jury returned an irreconcilably inconsistent verdict, but the appeals court rejected this claim as well, concluding that the company waived the issue by not objecting before the jury was dismissed.
Partner Amanda DeMatteis: “After more than five and a half years of litigation, we are proud of our firm’s work in helping vindicate Mr. Ramadei’s rights and secure the compensation he deserves. We look forward to seeing the judgment through to payment and bringing this long-fought matter to a close for him.”
You can read the Second Circuit’s full decision here and read more on the case here and here (subscriptions required).