Appeals court slashes jury award for former Hallandale city manager

The city of Hallandale Beach may not have to cough up more than $4 million to a former city manager who was wrongly fired in late 2016.

Daniel Rosemond won a $4.4 million judgement against the city two years ago after a jury was convinced that he was the victim of wrongful termination. City officials believed Rosemond improperly paid for a family member’s trip with him to Seattle, an expense he repaid when it was brought to light.

Rosemond argued that he was fired without cause and entitled to a $92,000 severance package. A jury agreed. He also claimed the city retaliated against him as a whistleblower. Again, the jury agreed, and that was where the bulk of his award came from: jurors ordered the city to pay $4.3 million.

But the Fourth District Court of Appeal, in a ruling issued Wednesday, said the judge overseeing the case was wrong to send the issue of whistleblower retaliation to the jury, agreeing with the city’s lawyers that the conduct of the city commissioners who ousted him did not fit the legal requirements to find that retaliation had taken place.

City officials also said Rosemond improperly entered into a contract for more than $25,000, which was beyond his authority.

Rosemond no longer lives in Florida. At the time of the jury’s verdict, he said he felt “vindicated” by the jury’s decision.

Rosemond served as city manager from January through December 2016. He was fired three days after Christmas while he was on vacation.

“Dan could not get a job,” said his lawyer, Brian Lerner, in March 2022. “He applied for more than 40 jobs all over the country and could not get hired because of the stigma of being accused of stealing. He had to sell his house and move into his daughter’s apartment in California to survive.”

The city will still be on the hook for the $92,000 awarded for the wrongful termination “breach of contract,” according to the appellate decision.

It’s not clear whether the city will have to pay for any portion of Rosemond’s legal expenses.

Rafael Olmeda can be reached at rolmeda@sunsentinel.com or 954-356-4457.