DEARBORN — A Wayne County
jury awarded former Dearborn probation officer Simone Calvas with $463,820 in a
civil rights lawsuit against Dearborn’s 19th District Court. The lawsuit,
specifically targeting Dearborn Chief Judge Mark Somers, alleges that Calvas,
46, was fired in September 2007 without warning or explanation.  Somers, 52, who is serving his second
six year term on the bench, testified last week that he fired Calvas for job
performance issues and said she was an at-will employee who did not need a
warning before being terminated. The jury of five women and three men
disagreed, noting that the city had a policy of just cause in place at the time
of Calvas’ firing.  The state
Attorney General’s office, which represented Somers, has not decided whether it
will appeal the ruling. Calvas’ lawsuit is just one of three allegations made
by women working in the 19th District Court in recent years. A trial to
determine whether Somers discriminated against former Dearborn Deputy Court
Administrator Julie Pucci is set to begin in just a few weeks. Former Dearborn
Court Clerk Sharon Langen also filed a lawsuit against Somers in 2007, alleging
her termination in 2006 was discriminatory.