W. James Rice was terminated in January 2003, even though he had three years remaining on his employment contract. His four-count complaint alleged breach of contract, breach of the covenant of good faith and fair dealing, and a 42 U.S.C. § 1983 claim of taking property without due process-all against the housing authority. The fourth count was a tortious interference with contract claim against the authority’s lawyer, Barry T. Pontolillo. Rice claimed that Pontolillo abandoned his role as the authority’s attorney and became a de facto prosecutor of Rice, interfering with his employment contract.
The trial was held in New Haven Superior Court before Judge Thomas J. Corradino. It involved 13 days of evidence and three days of deliberation, which ended Oct. 11. The jury awarded $671,036 in economic damages, and punitive damages were entered against Pontolillo. Those amount to Rice’s attorneys fees, which are "six figures" said his lawyer, Leon M. Rosenblatt of West Hartford.
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