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injunctive relief, backpay, front pay (the monetary equivalent of
reinstatement), benefits, attorney’s fees, and reasonable costs.
The District Court ruled in favor of petitioner and found
that petitioner had been subjected to unwelcome sexual harassment
based on petitioner’s gender and that such harassment was
sufficiently severe and pervasive so as to unreasonably interfere
with her work performance and create an intimidating, hostile,
and offensive work environment. The District Court entered a
Final Judgment on April 3, 1992, awarding petitioner $52,492 in
backpay, $44,418.06 in front pay, $82,534.81 in pension benefits,
$85,227.50 in attorney’s fees, and $1,016.90 in reasonable costs.
Local 101 and Long appealed, and petitioner cross-appealed, to
the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit. The Court of
Appeals upheld the backpay, front pay, and pension benefits, and
remanded the attorney’s fees award to the District Court for
further consideration. See Hukkanen v. International Union of
Operating Engrs., Hoisting & Portable Local No. 101, 3 F.3d 281
(8th Cir. 1993).
In connection with petitioner’s lawsuit, petitioner and her
attorneys entered into a Contract for Employment for Litigation
on a Contingency Fee Basis (contingency fee contract). The
contingency fee contract provided that petitioner’s attorneys
would receive 45 percent of the total recovery, including
attorney’s fees, or $125 per hour for all time from the beginning
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