Employment Law

Discrimination/ Wrongful Termination

• Budlal v. Disney
  Case involving religious accommodation at Disneyland resolved to the parties’ mutual satisfaction (2014).
• Martin v. Texaco Refining and Marketing, Inc. (C 613 044)
  Sex discrimination case on behalf of woman denied a promotion at Texaco. Trial initially resulted in verdict of $20.3 million in 1991; on remand after new trial was granted, case went back to trial and settled for confidential sum (1995).
• Confidential
  Settlement on behalf of investment broker wrongfully terminated — $9 million (2000).
• Confidential
  $5 million in employment law (2010).
• Confidential
  Settlement on behalf of commissioned sales people wrongfully terminated in order to avoid payment of sales commissions — $3.2 million (2001).
• Confidential
  Settlement on behalf of salesperson wrongfully terminated based on race — $3.4 million (2003).
• Mosleh v. City of El Segundo (YC 025 903)
  Case by two employees of the city who were harassed and discriminated against because of their gender and race. Case settled for $1.33 million (1999).

• Tostado v. City of Los Angeles
  Wrongful demotion of police sergeant based upon gender discrimination — $1.3 million (2003).
• Confidential
  Settlement of case involving failure to promote Latino employee — $1.2 million (1997).
• Confidential
  Arbitrator award of over $1.1 million for discrimination (2004).
• Bonsangue v. ADP (644365)
  Verdict in age discrimination case of over $1 million (1993).
• Confidential
  $990,000. A disability discrimination lawsuit involving a long-time employee who was “laid off” when her MS symptomatology became uncomfortable for her employer.
• Lopez v. City of Alhambra (BC 209 442)
  Latina police sergeant sued city of Alhambra for failure to promote her because of her sex and race. Case settled for approximately $800,300, plus a retroactive promotion to lieutenant (2000).
• Confidential
  $800,000 in employment law (2011).
• Confidential
  Arbitrator’s award of $800,000 for wrongful termination (2004).
• Cameron v. City of Los Angeles (CV 95-2127 WMB (JGx))
  Case by four female firefighters alleging sexual discrimination and harassment against the Los Angeles Fire Department. Case settled for $795,000 (2000).
• Confidential
  Settlement of a sex/pregnancy discrimination case against a music publishing company — $450,000 (2009).

Harassment

• Allison v. City of Long Beach (CV 89-3240 RG (JRx))
  Case filed by two female Long Beach police officers who had been sexually harassed. Case resulted in $4 million verdict for plaintiffs (1991).
• Confidential
  A workplace sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit involving a gay male who was terminated from his employment after complaining to the owners of graphic harassment by the owners against himself, based on his sexual orientation, and other employees based on sex and race. Settled on the eve of trial for $1.3 million.
• Confidential
  Settlement of sexual harassment case against a national law firm — $1.1 million (1998).
• Confidential
  Settlement of sexual harassment case against a television company — $870,000 (1997).
• Confidential
  Confidential settlement: $800,000 settlement in a sexual harassment, retaliation case brought on behalf of a female working in the male-dominated aerospace industry (1995).
• Vitale v. City of Long Beach (BC 126 134)
  Female city prosecutor alleged sexual discrimination and harassment by male prosecutors. Settled for $750,000 (1996).
• Draper v. USC
  Draper v. USC: A sexual harassment, retaliation, failure to tenure case brought on behalf of a female professor, Draper v. USC, settled for $550,000 (1997).
• Doe v. Newport-Mesa Unified School District
  Settlement of claims for sexual orientation and sexual discrimination and harassment, providing for extensive mandatory training for school administrators, teachers, and staff on the harmful impacts of discrimination and harassment and how to maintain a safe and nondiscriminatory learning environment for all students (2009).

Breach of Contract

• Confidential
  Settlement of wage claims and punitive damages for refusal to pay under employment terms — $1.6 million (2001).
• Henry v. JAMS/Endispute, Inc. (BC 171 321)
  Breach of contract action by retired Judge Dana Senit Henry against JAMS. Plaintiff won nearly $600,000 in a case heard by referee (1998).

Labor Trafficking

• Ruiz v. Jackson, SC076090
  Jury verdict of $825,000 on behalf of Philippine plaintiff brought to Los Angeles and forced to work 18 hours per day while captive in defendants’ home. Prevailed on all claims, including false imprisonment, fraud, assault, battery, and negligence against defendants, one of whom was a lawyer and executive at Sony Pictures (2004).