PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — After a yearslong battle in court, a federal jury ruled Friday in favor of a former Providence firefighter who sued the city for denying her accidental disability benefits, awarding $1.75 million in compensatory damages. The jury in U.S. District Court also ruled that city officials retaliated against Lori Franchina when they denied those benefits, because she filed a gender discrimination and retaliation lawsuit in 2012, which she won in 2016. Franchina previously said she was targeted because she’s a woman and a lesbian, and moved up the ranks of the department quickly. She said she endured years of harassment, lewd nicknames, insubordination and discrimination. Franchina was initially awarded $806,000 in the 2016 lawsuit, a decision that the city appealed and lost two years later. Court documents show that in April 2013, the city applied for Franchina to be "involuntarily retired" with ordinary disability benefits instead of with accidental disability benefits, "despite previously rejecting her retirement application entirely just two years earlier." In December of that year, the board granted Franchina ordinary disability pension benefits "with no explanation whatsoever as to what changed their mind since the last application." Franchina said in February 2019, eight years after her accidental disability application was denied, she petitioned to the city's Retirement Board to reopen her 2011 application in light of the 2016 court verdict. Hearings were held in 2019, where Franchina said that "her permanent and total disability was caused by workplace harassment and other work-related incidents." Nearly a year later, in January 2020, the board denied Franchina's motion to reopen the application, writing in a decision that Franchina's claim "had been litigated to conclusion." A pre-trial memorandum filed by the city showed that "absent new medical evidence the board has not – and will not – reopen an application for accidental disability." Franchina fired back in her own pre-trial memorandum, stating that was false, and that her petition included "hundreds of pages of exhibits, including sworn testimony from two treating doctors who opined that the workplace harassment caused Franchina’s disability." After a four-day trial, the jury came to the unanimous decision that the city was liable for retaliation and awarded Franchina $1.75 million in compensatory damages. Target 12 reached out to Franchina and her attorneys for comment but did not immediately hear back on Monday. A spokesperson for Mayor Brett Smiley told Target 12 that the city was currently evaluating the jury's verdict and determining the next steps. Alexandra Leslie (aleslie@wpri.com) is a Target 12 investigative reporter covering Providence and more for 12 News. Connect with her on Twitter and on Facebook. Download the WPRI 12 and Pinpoint Weather 12 apps to get breaking news and weather alerts. Watch 12 News Now on WPRI.com or with the new 12+ smart TV app. Follow us on social media:                     Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily Roundup SIGN UP NOW ...read more read less