[A] 66-year-old man was awarded $26 million by a jury that found he was discriminated against and harassed based upon his age by his supervising managers at Staples…Bobby Dean Nickel, 64 when he lost his job, was hired by Corporate Express in August of 2002 as a facilities manager…For nine years, Nickel received positive job reviews…Because Corporate Express’ pay scale was higher than that of employees hired by Staples, Nickel alleged in his complaint that his mangers wanted to discharge older, higher paid employees…After he refused to resign when prompted to by a manager, he underwent a series of false accusations and increasing levels of harassment from co- workers and a manager… His lawyer, Carney Shegerian, said it represents the largest verdict of its kind in county history …[“]This verdict and the justice served will hopefully put employers on notice that they cannot discriminate against employees based on age.”