Jury awards $27M to four fired workers

CHICAGO (AP) — A federal jury has awarded more than $27 million to four former Allstate employees who sued the insurer for defamation.

The Chicago Tribune reports  the employees worked for a now-defunct equity division of the company. According to court documents, they were fired in 2009 for allegedly timing trades to increase their incentive bonuses.

Allstate blamed “some employees” in a 2010 Securities and Exchange Commission filing for timing trades, saying they cost the portfolio more than $200 million over six years.

The employees were never named. But their lawyer says “it ruined their careers” because people could “connect the dots” and believe his clients did it.

A spokeswoman said Allstate is “reviewing our post-verdict options.”