DEARBORN — Julie Pucci, 43, a former Dearborn deputy court administrator, was awarded $732,361 in damages on Thursday of last week after a verdict said she was denied due process after being fired in 2006 in the city’s 19th District Court. The result was the second similar award in recent weeks against the court and Chief Judge Mark Somers.  

A gender discrimination charge against Somers was dismissed in the Pucci case, however. 

The award to Pucci came after she accused Somers of not giving her due process after following her termination “without cause or warning.” Pucci is also the fiance of Dearborn Judge William Hultgren and had been a candidate for a top position within the court, but Somers contested her eligibility for the spot because he said her relationship violated the anti-nepotism policy of the court.

In June, Dearborn probation officer Simone Calvas won $463,820  in a civil rights lawsuit against Somers and the court. A third federal case is also pending from a Dearborn clerk of the court alleging discrimination by Somers.