A registered nurse left psychologically devastated after she was repeatedly mistreated by her boss has won more than $1.4 million in a negligence lawsuit against the Queensland government.
Mary-Rose Robinson argued she was unfairly blamed, humiliated, belittled and undermined for months by Cape York Health Service district chief executive Susan Turner.
Ms Robinson consequently suffered a chronic mental health disorder and had to leave her job as district director of nursing in January 2011.
She has been unable to work since and was forced to medically retire in May 2014.
The Cairns Supreme Court this week ruled the state government breached its duty as Ms Robinson's employer to take reasonable care to avoid her from suffering psychiatric injury.
Justice James Henry found the state was negligible when it failed to prevent Ms Turner's course of "managerial mistreatment" against Ms Robinson, who had up until that point been competent and well regarded in her job.
Ms Robinson, now aged 59, was awarded a total $1.46 million to cover income and superannuation loss, damages and the future expense of counselling.
AAP