A former NEC employee was awarded $61 million.

The jury award was made in Santa Clara County Superior Court against NEC Electronics, a subsidiary of Japan’s NEC Corp. Jurors said NEC Microcomputers, which became NEC Electronics in 1983, was guilty of breach of contract in the 1980 dismissal of John D. Haun as a sales representative after five years, and of defamation for reprinting an article involving the dismissal of Haun & Trident Associates, a company he formerly owned. NEC attorneys said they will seek a new trial.