Mike McQueary Wins Misrepresentation Case vs. Penn State: Details, Comments

A jury awarded former Penn State Nittany Lions assistant football coach Mike McQueary a $7.3 million judgment in his defamation and misrepresentation case against the school Thursday.

Matt Maisel of WPMT Fox43 reported the ruling in the civil case, which stemmed from the aftermath of the Jerry Sandusky child sexual abuse scandal.

Mark Scolforo of the Associated Press reported McQueary filed the lawsuit "seeking more than $4 million in lost wages and other claims," saying the decision to let him go was retaliation for his role in the Sandusky case. He testified about witnessing the former Penn State defensive coordinator sexually abusing a boy in 2001.

Penn State argued his release from the coaching staff after the 2011 season was not due to the case. It also stated his reputation was "damaged in the public's eye by questions about why he didn't physically intervene to help the boy or call police," according to the AP.

On Wednesday, Charles Thompson of PennLive reported expert witnesses provided a wide range of opinions about how much money McQueary lost. An expert for McQueary argued he lost between $1.8 million and $7.4 million, while an economics expert said the maximum was $590,000.

Agent Peter Roussel, a defense witness, said McQueary's opportunities would have been limited elsewhere because of his strong connections to Penn State, per Thompson.

"McQueary had a very, very limited network because he had worked at Penn State for his entire career, and I think it was significantly to his detriment that other coaches didn't really branch off from this staff," Roussel said.

StateCollege.com reported the jury awarded McQueary $1.15 million for compensatory damage in both defamation and misrepresentation as well as an additional $5 million in punitive damages for misrepresentation. The outlet noted neither McQueary nor his attorneys commented after the ruling.

Meanwhile, Sandusky continues to appeal a 2012 ruling that found him guilty on 45 of 48 sexual abuse charges and resulted in a prison sentence of 30 to 60 years. John Ziegler of Mediaite reported the next hearing in the case is scheduled for Nov. 4.