A woman who alleged she was fired from her job at a Columbia hair salon because she had an abortion settled her $10.85 million lawsuit against her former employers last week.
Robin Flanigan of West Edmondale resolved her dispute with Robin George Davidson and his wife, Patrice Davidson, at a settlement conference in Howard Circuit Court Tuesday.
A $5.5 million counter suit filed by the Davidsons also was resolved. The Davidsons, who operate Revelations in Hair Design in Columbia's Harper's Choice village, had contended that they were defamed by Ms. Flanigan's allegations.
The terms of the settlement were not disclosed in Circuit Court documents.
Pamela Randi Johnson, an Ellicott City attorney for the Davidsons, declined to comment on the case through her secretary. Ms. Flanigan and her attorney, David Shapiro of Baltimore, could not be reached.
Before the settlement, the case had been scheduled for a jury trial this Wednesday.
Ms. Flanigan claimed in her December 1993 lawsuit that the Davidsons fired her from her job as a stylist in 1990, five days after she had an abortion. She also contended the Davidsons harassed her for weeks before that, while she was deciding whether or not to have an abortion.
The Davidsons, who denied Ms. Flanigan's allegations, said they fired Ms. Flanigan because of insubordination, poor job performance and an unwillingness to discuss ways to improve her work.