Walmart was ordered to pay nearly $35 million to former truck driver Jesus “Jesse” Fonseca after a California jury found the retailer falsely accused him of workers’ compensation fraud and wrongfully terminated him.

Fonseca, who worked for Walmart for 14 years, was injured in a 2017 accident and filed a workers’ comp claim.

Despite medical restrictions, Walmart allegedly failed to accommodate him and later fired him after surveilling him driving a personal vehicle.

The jury awarded $25 million in punitive damages and $9.7 million for future losses, CBS News has reported.

Fonseca’s attorneys argued the case reflected a broader pattern of Walmart pressuring injured workers to return prematurely or firing them to cut costs.

Written by B.C. Begley