Woman Files Lawsuit. It Backfires. Now She Owes Money.

In 2013, a woman was fired from working at Novartis Pharmaceutical Company. She claimed it was due to discrimination. She filed a lawsuit against the company claiming her commute to work caused back pain and as a result she could not travel to her assigned location site each day for work. She filed her discrimination claim under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The case proceeded through the court system and during discovery, the pharmaceutical company discovered that the woman had a side job doing consulting work for two potential competitors. I guess she forgot to tell them about that. Turned out the woman also lied on her job application about her previous supervisor and salary at her last position.

After review, the court penalized the woman for filing a fraudulent claim and wasting the court's time and resources. The woman was ordered to pay $2 million in sanctions and legal fees.