A JURY HAS AWARDED FORMER PG&E EMPLOYEE AND SANTA CRUZ RESIDENT, MATTHEW NISWONGER MORE THAN 1 MILLION DOLLARS IN HIS WRONGFUL TERMINATION SUIT AGAINST THE UTILITY COMPANY. NISWONGER ALLEGED WHILE ON MEDICAL LEAVE, HE WAS FIRED (VIA VOICEMAIL) AFTER MAKING SAFETY COMPLAINTS WHEN HIS SUPERVISOR ASKED HIM TO REPLACE A BROKEN ELECTRICAL POLE WITHOUT SHUTTING DOWN THE POWER. IN ADDITION TO THE MONEY FOR LOST WAGES AND EMOTIONAL DISTRESS, PG&E WAS ALSO ORDERED TO PAY NISWONGER’S LEGAL FEES.
