Andrew MacDonald, an award-winning visual effects guru who was fired from Ascent Media Group after blowing the whistle on the alleged drug habits of one of his superiors, was awarded $450,000 by a jury on Tuesday for wrongful termination.
The jury award represents two years of salary and could climb higher after the parties reconvene in Los Angeles Superior Court over the issue of punitive damages. It comes more than three years after MacDonald spoke up about Alex Frisch, best known as the visual effects supervisor on the Pirates of the Caribbean films, who according to court papers was known in the office by such nicknames as "Power Donut Man" and "Cokey the Clown, Our Fearless Leader.
At trial, MacDonald, represented by famed attorney Mark Geragos, presented the case that the firing was an excuse to cover up illegal acts.
MacDonald and his wife testified. Three top AMG executives also took the stand.
"It was clear during the trial, the jury completely rejected the testimony of the Ascent executives," Geragos tells The Hollywood Reporter.
The attorney adds that the jury's conclusion that the employer acted "maliciously" is "rare in a wrongful termination case but an appropriate decision given all of the complete fabrications and lies."
MacDonald is back in court Wednesday in hopes of collecting punitive damages.
Frisch is no longer at AMG, having left to co-found a new visual effects studio that has worked with such artists as Nicki Minaj.
Read More: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/hollywood-cocaine-whistleblower-awarded-450k-382264
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