SPRINGFIELD — The Springfield Police Department has appealed a jury verdict that awarded a police officer over half a million dollars in damages for on-the-job retaliation.

Capt. Reginald Miller, who is Black, sued the Police Department in 2021. A nearly 30-year employee of the department, Miller claimed the department racially discriminated against him and failed to offer a reasonable accommodation for a cancer diagnosis for which he was receiving treatment. He also claimed the department retaliated against him after he complained about his situation.

A jury in April found that the department retaliated against Miller but said that it did not discriminate against him on the basis of race or his illness. He was awarded $520,000 in damages for the retaliation claim.

On Friday, the atto

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