INDEPENDENCE, Mo. — The jury deciding the age discrimination case against the Kansas City Chiefs finished its first day of deliberations on Tuesday.
Attorneys wrapped up closing arguments in the morning and after lunch on Tuesday, the jury began deliberation.
Steve Cox is asking for $400,000 in back pay and millions of dollars more in punitive damages. He says he was fired in 2010 because of his age, which at the time was 61 years old.
For 12 years, Cox had worked as a maintenance manager for the Chiefs organization.
His attorneys claim he had great performance reviews but was fired a year after a management change, and was replaced by a 31-year old.
The Chiefs countered that Cox was fired for disobeying his boss by giving an employee an unauthorized $2-per-hour raise.
“They keep trying to muddy the waters,” said Anthony Romano, attorney for the Chiefs.
At one point during the three-week trial, former Chiefs General Manager Scott Pioli testified.
Cox’s attorneys claimed Pioli made it known he wanted the organization to ‘go younger’. The Chiefs deny that.
In a civil case, nine out of twelve jurors need to agree in order to deliver a verdict.
Jury deliberations are expected to resume at 9 a.m. on Wednesday morning.
