BALTIMORE, July 29 (UPI) -- A jury in Baltimore awarded $34 million to employees of a restaurant who claimed carbon monoxide poisoning left them with brain damage, court records show.

Twenty employees of a Ruth's Chris restaurant in a downtown Baltimore hotel had said the gas leak left them with permanent brain damage leading to personality changes, memory problems and, in some cases, loss of "conjugal affection," The Baltimore Sun reported Thursday.

The leak was discovered Feb. 2, 2008, after restaurant employees at the Pier 5 Hotel began complaining of dizziness and nausea, the newspaper said.

In their suit filed against the hotel, the employees said negligence and poor equipment maintenance by the hotel exposed them to "deadly levels of carbon monoxide" over a period of time.

Ruth's Chris was not a party in the lawsuit and was not held responsible, the Sun reported.

Legal analysts say the amount of the award will likely be reduced by many millions, as Maryland law puts a $710,000 cap on pain-and-suffering damages in such cases.

Hotel owner TBOP Pier 5 LLC is expected to appeal the verdict, the Sun reported.