Wisconsin Appeals Court Reverses $1.4M Award Against Company

An appeals court has reversed $1.4 million in damages awarded to 10 western Wisconsin women whose work pictures were defiled and placed on Internet pornography sites by a security employee.

The 3rd District Court of Appeals ruled Sept. 1 that a security company was not negligent in training and supervising the man who worked at the Polaris Industries plant in Osceola.

The women claimed they suffered severe emotional distress as a result of the man’s actions. The appeals court says the circumstances that led to the women’s distress were unpredictable and unimaginable.

The decision overturns a ruling by St. Croix Circuit Judge Eric Lundell in lawsuits filed in 2006 against Securitas Security Services, which provided security for the Polaris plant.