( August 28, 2025, 2:13 PM EDT) -- NEW HAVEN, Conn. — A federal judge in Connecticut partially denied a renewed motion for judgment notwithstanding a jury verdict or for a new trial filed by a Connecticut school board and principal after a jury awarded a Connecticut teacher $1.1 million on her claims that she was subjected to retaliation and defamation after making public comments and social media comments regarding the COVID-19 pandemic; the judge left in place $475,000 awarded for a retaliation claim brought under state law and a defamation claim and ordered a new trial on the teacher’s retaliation claim brought under federal law....