A Dallas County jury has awarded $4.26 million to Jim Nahas, the county's former human resources chief, finding that former County Administrator John Norris and current Supervisors Tom Hockensmith and Angela Connolly willfully libeled him when they fired him five years ago.

In addition to having Polk County pay Nahas $4 million for emotional, reputational and other general damages, the jury decided Monday, Sept. 22, that he should receive $250,000 from Norris, $5,000 from Hockensmith and $5,000 from Connolly in punitive damages for their wanton conduct.

But Norris, who was ousted by a politically reconfigured board this year, had a legal indemnity agreement with the county as part of his more than half-million-dollar severance package .

Nahas also will receive $18,722 in back pay as p

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