A California jury awarded six female supermarket employees $30 million in punitive damages last week in one of the largest sexual harassment verdicts ever recorded. The plaintiffs, former employees of Compton, California-based supermarket chain Ralph's Grocery Co., alleged that a store director subjected them to verbal and physical abuse for a decade. The director, Roger Misiolek, allegedly threw dangerous items such as mailbags and telephones at the women on several occasions and called the plaintiffs vulgar names.

The lawsuit claimed officials with Ralph's Grocery intentionally disregarded several complaints filed by the women. A jury originally awarded $3.325 million in punitive damages to the plaintiffs in 1998, but because of juror misconduct, a new trial was ordered.