Angela J. Reddock-Wright, Esq.

Constructive Discharge

• The plaintiff claimed they were passed over for several promotions based on age. The defendant denies there was age discrimination, arguing that the alleged offender hired the plaintiff when they were over the age of 40 and the defendant had legitimate business reasons for not promoting them to the other positions in question. The defendant argued that the plaintiff's alleged damages are cut-off because the plaintiff quit their job and found comparable employment thereafter.
• Plaintiff was a sales associate for an online shoe retailer. Plaintiff claimed she was constructively discharged and discriminated against based on her age. Plaintiff also made wage and hour claims based on alleged failure to pay timely wages, failure to provide itemized wage statements, failure to pay the minimum wage (a base salary + commission structure), and misclassification. Defendant denied the claims and argued it could not pay a substantive settlement based on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and international supply chain challenges.
• This is a pre-arbitration case. Plaintiff worked as a charge nurse for Defendant. The claimant claimed that they were retaliated against when they complained about patient-nursing rations and about being discriminated against based on her race, and was passed over for promotions and pay increases. Respondent argued that Claimant could not meet the standard for constructive discharge and had no evidence of any adverse action under the law. The case settled after a full day of mediation.

Disability

• Plaintiff was a construction manager for defendant employer. Plaintiff claims they were terminated after submitting a doctor's note for medical leave and then requesting an extension of that doctor's note. Defendant claims it had already planned to terminate the plaintiff for longstanding performance issues prior to plaintiff submitting a doctor's note. The case settled after a full day of extensive negotiations and ultimately with a Mediator's Proposal.
• Plaintiff worked as a staff employee for the Defendant hospital. Plaintiff claimed Defendant wrongfully terminated her after she was on a series of protected medical leaves over several years. Defendant argued that it terminated Plaintiff for repeated unexcused absences that were beyond the scope of Plaintiff's protected leave. After several rounds of negotiations, the matter settled with a Mediator's Proposal.
• Plaintiff was a high-level manager with a transit company. Plaintiff claimed Plaintiff was wrongfully terminated and retaliated against after having taken significant time off to recover from an accident Plaintiff was involved in related to work. Defendant argued that it did engage Plaintiff in the interactive process but there were no jobs to offer Plaintiff due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A full day of settlement discussions and negotiations resulted in issuing a Mediator's Proposal.
• Plaintiff worked as a cashier at a national grocery store chain and went out on medical leave. Defendant terminated plaintiff after plaintiff's FMLA and personal medical leave with the company expired. Plaintiff argued defendant failed to provide them with reasonable accommodation and to fully engage in the interactive process, and that defendant should have extended the plaintiff's leave. Defendant argued that Plaintiff sought an indefinite leave which is not required under the law.
• Plaintiff was a production worker for a fresh foods and vegetables production company and claimed she was injured at work and went out on a medical leave of absence for about 6 months and was terminated. Plaintiff claims Defendant failed to engage in the interactive process or to offer a reasonable accommodation based on restrictions of needing to take breaks. Defendant argued that the plaintiff was not cooperative and did not fully participate in the interactive process, thus, they had no option but to terminate employment.
• Plaintiff worked as a store manager at a fast food restaurant chain and was an employee for almost three decades. Plaintiff claims that the defendant franchise company retaliated against her by starting to write her up for minor offenses and ultimately terminated her after she suffered an injury at work. Defendant argued that the plaintiff had serious performance issues that led to termination.
• Plaintiff was a high-wage earner/manager working as a CPA/international tax specialist for Defendant's telecom company. Plaintiff claimed she was laid off after asking for accommodation to work from home. Defendant argued that its decision to lay off the plaintiff was based on legitimate business reasons and a decision to move the company's international tax operations overseas.
• Plaintiff worked as a food service worker for a local restaurant of a national restaurant chain, and had a lifelong limp. On the first day of work, the supervisor asked Plaintiff to get a doctor's note to be cleared to return to work. Defendant argued that Plaintiff never did and that is the reason Plaintiff was terminated - voluntary resignation. Plaintiff claimed Defendant wrongfully terminated Plaintiff based on perceived disability and disability discrimination, and Defendant failed to pay day of wages and brought wage and hour claims, along with a potential PAGA action. The parties participated in a full-day mediation which resulted in a Mediator's Proposal being issued.
• Plaintiff worked as a facilities manager with the defendant international car company for many years. After a reorganization, Defendant argued that Plaintiff was not able to work up to the new standards set in the reorganization and after several months, Defendant terminated Plaintiff. Plaintiff argued that Defendant wrongfully terminated him due to taking time off because of a medical issue. The case settled after a full day of mediation.
• Joint Employer Liability/Disability Discrimination Case in which the plaintiff worked as a temp employee at a manufacturing facility placed there by a temporary placement agency. Plaintiff claimed that the defendants wrongfully terminated her and failed to engage in the interactive process and provide reasonable accommodation after she was injured on the job. The manufacturing facility argued that she was not its employee. The temp agency argued that once she was determined to be totally disabled for about two years, there was no job for her. The case settled after a full day of mediation.

Discrimination

• Settled a race discrimination and retaliation case where the plaintiff was in pro-per and worked out of state. The parties had participated in a prior mediation through an administrative agency with no success. The parties were able to reach an amicable settlement.
• Settled a disability discrimination case where the plaintiff who worked in the hospitality services industry had permanent medical restrictions and could not lift more than 25 pounds, however, the job required the plaintiff to be able to lift more than 50 pounds. The defendant offered the plaintiff "leave" as a reasonable accommodation, stating that the plaintiff could not perform the essential duties of the job. Plaintiff argued that the defendant failed to engage in the interactive process and should have found other ways to accommodate.
• Plaintiff claimed she was terminated after being out on intermittent FMLA/CFRA leave for her own medical condition and the medical condition of a family member. Defendant stated Plaintiff was terminated due to a Company wide-layoff and was picked for layoff compared to her peers due to performance issues. Plaintiff denied stating that Defendant used performance as a pretext for disability discrimination.
• Assisted parties in settling an employment discrimination case based on race, national origin, and disability. Plaintiff was a woman of color claiming that her non-profit employer and other women of color within the organization discriminated against her based on her ethnicity, national origin, and medical disability and that her claims went to the core of the organization's mission and values and that this would be on display in a trial. The issues of alleged race discrimination were nuanced and would have required substantial discovery and educating of the jury to prove. Case settled in the six figures with a Mediator's Proposal.
• Plaintiff worked for the employer for a few months and claimed that after complaining of racial discrimination and sexual harassment and other alleged workplace violations, the employer engaged in multiple acts of alleged retaliation against the plaintiff, ultimately resulting in termination. The employer claimed it terminated the plaintiff due to insubordination. After several rounds of negotiation, the case settled with a Mediator's Proposal.
• Plaintiff was a nurse who claimed that the defendant care facility discriminated against the plaintiff and terminated the plaintiff based on the plaintiff's race and in retaliation for the plaintiff complaining about issues of race. Defendant denied the plaintiff's claims stating that the plaintiff had performance issues and the plaintiff only complained after the plaintiff received notice of the plaintiff's performance issues.
• Settled case between a plaintiff healthcare worker and a defendant healthcare employer where plaintiff claimed defendant failed to accommodate plaintiff or to engage plaintiff in the interactive process when plaintiff had a doctor's note providing that plaintiff could not work in any environment that exposed plaintiff to COVID-19 - essentially no interface with patients. Plaintiff also claimed plaintiff was treated differently based on plaintiff's race and that defendant retaliated against plaintiff after plaintiff returned from a short leave.
• Plaintiff was a salesperson who claimed the defendant employer wrongfully terminated plaintiff based on plaintiff's performance issues. Plaintiff argued that they were never counseled for performance issues and believes the termination was a pretext for race discrimination and plaintiff complaining about not being paid commissions.
• Plaintiff worked as an administrative employee for a public agency and claimed that Plaintiff was passed over many times for a promotion due to Plaintiff's race - Black/African-American. The Defendant agency argued there were legitimate reasons for Plaintiff not being promoted ranging from other candidates who were more experienced, Plaintiff not having the qualifications for the position, and Plaintiff having some performance issues.
• Plaintiff was an applicant for employment with Defendant bank. Plaintiff alleges that Defendant's hiring managers asked Plaintiff questions about whether Plaintiff would be able to do the job and travel with small children and discriminated against Plaintiff based on Plaintiff's gender by not offering them the job. Defendant denies that hiring managers asked Plaintiff alleged inappropriate questions during the interview. Defendant also argued that it hired someone in the same protected categories as Plaintiff and that the person hired was more qualified than Plaintiff.
• The plaintiffs were a two-person family team that worked in operations and loan processing for a defendant mortgage lending company and claimed they were placed on a paid suspension in retaliation for their complaints about the company's alleged lending practices and for complaining of race and sexual orientation discrimination.
• Plaintiff worked as a personal trainer at the Defendant multi-franchised fitness company. Plaintiff claimed that an executive made multiple comments about Plaintiff's hair and other comments related to Plaintiff's race. Plaintiff stated Plaintiff reported the alleged misconduct to Plaintiff's supervisors but they did not take action. After a full day of negotiations, the matter resolved with a Mediator's Proposal.
• Plaintiff is an African-American female and was a probationary employee with a community college district. Plaintiff claimed she was wrongfully terminated by her African-American supervisor who she claims discriminated against her based on her being Black. Defendant argued that Plaintiff was terminated for performance reasons and that it would be difficult for Plaintiff to establish a claim for race discrimination given that they are both African-American, and that the supervisor replaced Plaintiff with another African-American female employee who is performing well in the job. The case settled at mediation.
• Plaintiff worked as an apprentice stationary engineer for the Defendant engineering company and claimed that their supervisor called them racial names and engaged in conduct of a racial and harassing nature. Plaintiff alleges that they reported the alleged misconduct to their supervisors but Defendant did not investigate or seek to remedy the alleged harassment. The case settled after a full day of mediation.
• The plaintiff was a server at a national restaurant chain and claimed they were wrongfully terminated after making complaints about race. The plaintiff claims that the manager started to set them up for termination after learning of the complaints. The defendant denied the plaintiff's claims and stated that it terminated the plaintiff based on years of performance issues. The defendant also argued that it never received any formal complaints from the plaintiff and hence, that it was not able to take investigate or take appropriate remedial action.
• The plaintiff worked as a business development manager for the defendant's skilled nursing center for two months and claims the defendant wrongfully terminated and retaliated against them for making claims of race discrimination. The defendant claims it terminated the plaintiff based on performance issues demonstrated during the plaintiff's 90-day probationary period.
• Mediated a tort case with an element of alleged negligence, false arrest, and police excessive force. Plaintiff was a patron at a local national coffee company chain and claims that the company wrongfully called the police, believing that Plaintiff was someone the company had a restraining order against. He claimed substantial emotional distress from engagement with the police. The company denies the claims stating that the employees had reasonable belief that he was the person they had a restraining order on and thus acted reasonably in calling the police.
• Plaintiff claims Defendant discriminated against him based on age when terminating him with what he believed to be a false and pretextual write-up. Plaintiff claimed that supervisors made many age-related comments about him retiring and collecting social security. Defendant denied Plaintiff's allegations stating Plaintiff had a history of performance issues and that Plaintiff's last alleged performance issue was at a level that justified termination.
• Plaintiff was in pro per and worked as a manager for a larger entertainment company/network. Plaintiff claimed the defendant passed her over for promotions for 10+ years and retaliated against her based on a medical condition. Defendant denied Plaintiff's allegations stating it fully accommodated Plaintiff and the medical condition and that Plaintiff was not promoted due to not being qualified for many of the jobs she applied for. After a full day of mediation, the matter settled.
• Plaintiff claimed that her former firm and boss sexually harassed her and retaliated against them for their rebuff of a certain case the firm was working on. Defendant denied the claims and stated that it terminated Plaintiff due to Plaintiff trying to poach a firm client.
• Plaintiff worked as a traveling nurse for the defendant's staffing agency which placed her at the defendant's hospital. Plaintiff claimed the Defendants discriminated against her based on race and subjected her to a hostile work environment. Patients requested non-black nurses and the plaintiff saw this written on the hospital schedule and complained. Plaintiff stated that nothing was done and she experienced retaliation in terms of her assignments and how the defendants responded when she was injured on the job. A full day of mediation resulted in the issuing of a Mediator's Proposal.

Labor Code

• The claimant was a pro per, but supported by a union representative, claiming that the public sector university employer wrongfully terminated the claimant without following the provisions of the MOU. Specifically by not providing the claimant with all information in the claimant's file leading to termination, thereby denying the claimant the opportunity to respond and rebut the basis for the claimant's termination. The matter settled with a half-day of virtual mediation.

PAGA

• Settled federal court PAGA case where the Plaintiff claimed failure to pay internet expenses, misclassification and failure to pay overtime. Case settled with a Mediator's Proposal.
• The plaintiffs were editors for a media, video, and podcast production company. They claimed they worked around the clock and were not paid overtime for missed meal and rest breaks, were not provided a day of rest, and did not receive their final pay on time. Defendants argued they paid Plaintiffs according to their submitted time records.
• Plaintiff was a cook at a national restaurant chain franchise for one month and claimed that in that time, he was not able to take meal and rest breaks, made complaints about health and safety issues that were ignored, and was subjected to racial comments based on race (Black). Plaintiff also alleged PAGA claims. Defendant denied the claims. The case settled after a full day of negotiations and the issuance of a Mediator's Proposal.
• The lead Plaintiffs worked as digital film editors for an entertainment digital production company and claimed they worked 24/7 without meal and rest breaks. They also claim they worked overtime and were not reimbursed for their home equipment and software required to do their jobs. Defendant denied their claims stating that Plaintiffs completed their own timesheets, certified the time they worked from week to week, and were provided an opportunity to take breaks as needed.
• PAGA case where the claims were for misclassification of employees and failure to pay cell phone expenses for the class of truck drivers. The parties disputed the range of penalties applicable to the alleged violations.

Retaliation

• Plaintiff was an operations manager for the Defendant tech company. Plaintiff claimed Defendant retaliated against Plaintiff after Plaintiff went out on maternity leave and later went out on extended leave, by claiming Plaintiff had performance issues and placing Plaintiff on a PIP. Defendant argued that it accommodated each of Plaintiff's leave requests and that it had planned to place Plaintiff on a PIP prior to Plaintiff's second leave and that the PIP was drafted. After a full day of negotiations, the matter settled in the six figures.
• Plaintiff worked as an operations manager for a hotel operation. Plaintiff claimed the defendant terminated them after they complained of alleged failure to comply with CA Sick Pay law and based on rumors received from other employees that they had "an ax to grind" with the plaintiff.
• Plaintiff worked as a salesperson for a telecom company and claims Defendant wrongfully terminated Plaintiff based on age and gender. Plaintiff also claims Defendant failed to engage her in the interactive process or to provide reasonable accommodation. Defendant denied Plaintiff's claims stating it terminated Plaintiff based on performance issues.
• Plaintiff worked for Defendant's cannabis company as a grower. Plaintiff claimed the conditions were unsafe and triggered Plaintiff's medical condition. Plaintiff also claimed Plaintiff was given less favorable jobs than other growers based on Plaintiff's gender and race. Defendant argued that it was not aware of Plaintiff's medical condition and it did not treat Plaintiff differently from other growers. The parties participated in a full day of mediation.
• An African-American plaintiff was a high-level manager for a technology company and claimed the company passed him over for a promotion and then demoted him after complaining about being passed over. Plaintiff also stated that the manager and an executive made racial comments, amounting to race discrimination. The Defendant company argued that it did not retaliate against Plaintiff and it had legitimate business reasons to choose another person for the open position. The company also argued that it provided Plaintiff with another position for more pay. The case settled after a full day of in-person mediation.
• Plaintiff worked as an insurance agent for an independent brokerage firm and claimed that the owner of the firm, who was of the same race as Plaintiff, discriminated against them based on race. Plaintiff also claimed that Defendant retaliated against and wrongfully terminated them after Plaintiff complained about the alleged unfair treatment to the corporate office. Defendant argued that it terminated Plaintiff based on poor work performance. The case settled after a full day of mediation.
• Plaintiff worked as a mortgage lender for a leading bank and claims that the defendant bank retaliated against him by writing him up and ultimately terminating him after he complained several times about not receiving commission payments. Defendant denied Plaintiff's claims and stated it terminated Plaintiff based on repeated performance issues.

Sexual Harassment

• A combination of sexual harassment, constructive termination/whistleblower, and wage and hour case involving the cannabis industry where the Plaintiff claimed she was constructively terminated after making complaints about regulatory issues related to the cannabis industry and that she was ostracized following her complaints. She also alleged a manager touched her inappropriately on her thigh. The employer denied the claims stating that the plaintiff quit voluntarily, and denied sexual harassment and wage and hour claims. The case ultimately settled with a Mediator's Proposal.
• Plaintiff worked as a warehouse packer for a manufacturing company, placed at the company by a temporary employment staffing agency. Plaintiff alleged that their co-worker engaged in sexual misconduct toward Plaintiff, including verbal comments and touching. Plaintiff alleges that they reported the alleged misconduct on multiple occasions and that several of Plaintiff's co-workers witnessed the alleged harassment, but the company did not investigate or take any action. Plaintiff claimed that the Defendant manufacturing company wrongfully terminated Plaintiff after Plaintiff complained of alleged harassment.
• Plaintiff worked for a tech company and claimed sexual harassment by the plaintiff's executive boss at a work social outing. The alleged harassment included touching and suggestive comments. The Defendant company argued that it had a third-party independent investigation of Plaintiff's claims which concluded that Plaintiff's claims were unfounded and that the investigation would serve as evidence at trial of the alleged lack of merit to Plaintiff's claims. The parties negotiated in good faith and ultimately agreed to consider a Mediator's Proposal.
• The teenage plaintiff worked at a restaurant and claimed their manager sexually harassed them with comments and touching over a period of months. Defendant denied Plaintiff's claims stating that Plaintiff never reported the alleged incidents until Plaintiff was verbally counseled for alleged tip violations. The matter settled with a Mediator's Proposal after a full day of mediation and negotiations between the parties.
• The two plaintiffs worked as administrative employees for the defendant public university hospital. Plaintiffs claimed their supervisor sexually harassed them. Defendant conducted an investigation that sustained some of plaintiff's allegations. The parties agreed to some extent on liability but valued the case differently, particularly in terms of emotional distress.
• Plaintiff is LGBT and worked for an LGBT non-profit organization. Plaintiff claimed that they were subjected to sexual harassment and sexual assault by the plaintiff's manager and an executive in the organization and was constructively terminated. Defendant denied the plaintiff's claims stating that text messages and other evidence established that plaintiff consented to the alleged misconduct, and in some instances initiated the alleged misconduct. The case settled after a full day of mediation.

Wage and Hour

• Plaintiffs were courier drivers for a cannabis company. They claimed that the company failed to reimburse them for gas expenses, vehicle maintenance, and personal cell phone usage, and failed to provide them meal and rest break periods.
• Plaintiff was a social media photographer for Defendant's digital marketing company. Plaintiff, who is gay, claimed Defendant wrongfully terminated him after he complained about alleged homophobic remarks by the company owner. The company argued that it terminated Plaintiff due to performance reasons and Plaintiff engaging in threatening conduct in the work environment.

Wrongful Term & Discrimination

• Plaintiff was a finance employee for over two decades who claimed that the Defendant hospital employer passed over Plaintiff for several promotions based on Plaintiff's race and national origin. Defendant argued that Plaintiff was a decent employee but that Plaintiff was not a strong candidate compared to others in the pool. Plaintiff went out on medical leave after not being considered for the last promotion opportunity.
• Plaintiff worked as an onsite manager for apartments run and operated by a non-profit homeless services agency, and claimed that one of the tenants harassed her and made her feel unsafe. She stated this to management but nothing was done. Plaintiff claimed that things got worse and she had no option but to quit her employment with the agency, claiming constructive discharge. Defendant argued that it did everything it could to protect Plaintiff and to provide Plaintiff support. It also argued that Plaintiff had excessive absenteeism which led to Plaintiff's termination.

Wrongful Term Covid-19

• Plaintiff was a healthcare worker who claimed the defendant's hospital terminated the plaintiff after the plaintiff advised that they contracted COVID-19. Plaintiff also alleged that defendant failed to engage in the interactive process and to provide reasonable accommodation. Defendant argued that the plaintiff did not provide a doctor's note verifying the plaintiff's COVID-19 diagnosis within the time frame provided. Defendant also argued that they had no proof that the plaintiff had a qualified disability within the ADA or FEHA. The case settled after a full day of mediation.

Wrongful Termination

• Plaintiff claimed unpaid commissions, age, and gender discrimination. Defendant counterclaimed for Plaintiff's failure to return the company laptop and cellphone. With a Mediator's Proposal, the case settled.
• Settled disability discrimination case where Defendant terminated Plaintiff for an alleged violation of the company's conflicts of interest policy. Plaintiff claimed the termination was a pretext for disability discrimination and that the Defendant terminated the Plaintiff within days of the Plaintiff returning from surgery.
• Plaintiff worked in a medical office for three months. Plaintiff sued for race discrimination and retaliation after taking sick days off to care for their child and was terminated thereafter. Plaintiff also claimed missed meal periods and rest breaks. The case settled.
• Settled a case involving a plaintiff employee who alleged that the company terminated the employee for complaining about allegedly discriminatory remarks made by the employee's manager. The company denied the allegations and stated it terminated the employee for legitimate, non-discriminatory reasons.
• Plaintiff, who worked in a fulfillment warehouse, claimed that the employer discriminated against her based on her pregnancy by placing her on a leave of absence in response to her request for certain accommodations associated with her pregnancy. Plaintiff also claimed a failure to provide reasonable accommodation and to engage in the interactive process.
• After a full day of mediation, settled a two-plaintiff case against a former restaurant and the former restaurant owners for wage and hour violations (meal and rest periods), disability discrimination, retaliation, and other claims.
• Helped to settle an employment wrongful termination case where Plaintiff, who worked for a retail store and had Asperger's syndrome, claimed that Defendant failed to engage Plaintiff in the interactive process and failed to reasonably accommodate Plaintiff's disability. Plaintiff also claims wrongful termination based on Defendant firing Plaintiff for a security violation and that the termination was a pretext for not liking plaintiff. The case settled with a Mediator's Proposal.
• Settled a case where the plaintiff employee claimed the defendant employer retaliated against the plaintiff based on the plaintiff's reporting issues of race discrimination. Defendant claimed it had a legitimate business reason to terminate the plaintiff based on the plaintiff's alleged violation of privacy and HIPAA laws.
• Plaintiff was a truck driver for hazardous waste products and claimed that the defendant employer wrongfully terminated them after they complained of race discrimination and hazardous waste violations. The employer stated that it was not aware of the plaintiff's complaints and that it terminated the plaintiff based on the plaintiff having several write-ups within a year, and that the termination was consistent with its progressive discipline policy.
• Plaintiff worked for the Defendant aerospace company as a machinist/programmer. Plaintiff claims plaintiff was wrongfully terminated after complaining of the defendant employer's lack of alleged COVID-19 safety precautions and after Plaintiff filed a formal complaint with OSHA. Defendant denied the plaintiff's claims stating it laid the plaintiff off due to a downturn in work due to the COVID-19 pandemic, along with performance issues. The case settled with a Mediator's Proposal after a half-day session of negotiations.
• Plaintiff was a human resources director for the defendant employer and sued for wrongful termination and discrimination based on race. Plaintiff claimed defendant retaliated against plaintiff by terminating plaintiff within a few days after plaintiff reported an alleged incident where a manager made comments of an alleged racial nature. Defendant argued that it did not retaliate against plaintiff and that it terminated plaintiff due to layoffs and restructuring due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
• Plaintiff claimed defendant wrongfully terminated plaintiff based on plaintiff's disability and union activity, and failed to engage plaintiff in the interactive process. Plaintiff argued it would not have been an undue hardship for defendant to extend plaintiff's leave a few more months. Plaintiff also claimed defendant failed to pay plaintiff for missed meal breaks and rest periods and failed to reimburse plaintiff for personal cell phone use. Defendant denied these claims. The matter settled with a half-day mediation.
• Plaintiff was a nurse with the Defendant hospital group and claims Defendant terminated Plaintiff in the middle of Plaintiff's probationary period due to learning Plaintiff was pregnant. Defendant denies Plaintiff's claims and stated that it terminated Plaintiff for very serious performance issues which put patient care into jeopardy.
• Plaintiff was a union carpenter for the Defendant hospital. Plaintiff claimed they were wrongfully terminated after being out on a six-month leave, and the defendant did not engage in the interactive process. Defendant argued that the plaintiff sought an "indefinite leave" which is not required under the law, and that the plaintiff is eligible for rehire. Plaintiff argued that, based on union rules, they have not been able to return to work at the same or greater capacity, and thus are essentially constructively terminated.
• Plaintiff worked as an administrative employee for a public university and claimed the university wrongfully terminated her when she needed to take time off a second time for pregnancy leave. Defendant argued plaintiff's termination was not wrongful - that it terminated the plaintiff during the plaintiff's probationary period and the plaintiff had a history of performance issues.
• Plaintiff was an administrative employee for a healthcare company. Plaintiff claimed Defendant wrongfully terminated them on the day their FMLA leave expired, stating that Plaintiff did not purchase the necessary ergonomic equipment in order to return to work on a timely basis. Defendant argued that it gave Plaintiff notice several months before that Plaintiff needed to order the necessary equipment to return to work and thus, its termination of Plaintiff was not wrongful.
• Plaintiff was employed as a cook with a company that provides outsourced cafeteria services to a branch of the military and claimed he was wrongfully terminated after complaining that the manager brandished a weapon as a threat. Defendant denied the plaintiff's claims and argued that he was terminated based on performance reasons, and also argued that the FEHA and other claims were barred by the federal enclave doctrine which precludes essentially any state law that postdates the cessation of land to the U.S. government. The matter settled after a full day of negotiations.
• Plaintiff worked as an admin/payroll employee for Defendant's restaurant company and took an extended protected medical and personal leave for mental stress after being out due to restaurant closures due to COVID. Defendant informed Plaintiff it had reorganized and the position was eliminated. Plaintiff argued the termination was retaliatory for being out on medical leave. Plaintiff also argued that they were replaced with another employee, Defendant failed to engage in the interactive process and made wage and hour claims for the alleged failure to pay overtime.
• Plaintiff worked for a national ground delivery company for approximately 6 days and initially was placed on a medical leave of absence due to Covid-19 and upon recovering, had a non-work-related accident and went out on a further medical leave for six months. The company terminated Plaintiff after requesting medical certification from Plaintiff's doctor but Plaintiff not providing. Plaintiff argued that they were wrongfully terminated and retaliated against for being on leave. The case settled after a full day of mediation.
• Plaintiff was a truck driver and was placed at Defendant's trucking company by Defendant's temp agency. Plaintiff was middle eastern and claimed that the trainer had a bias toward individuals from the middle east. Plaintiff claimed that Defendants discriminated and retaliated against Plaintiff based on Plaintiff's race and national origin when Defendants did not reassign Plaintiff to a new trainer and bring Plaintiff back to the job. Defendants denied Plaintiff's claims stating Defendant was not returned to the work site due to anger issues. There was an issue of joint employer liability and indemnification between the two Defendants.
• Plaintiff worked as a union laborer for a defendant construction company. Plaintiff had two workplace accidents and claimed it was due to a lack of safety protocols and oversight by the defendant. Defendant denied the plaintiff's arguments stating that the plaintiff was fully trained in its safety protocols and that it takes safety seriously. Defendant stated it terminated the plaintiff because of its zero-tolerance safety policies. The mediation resulted in the issuing of a Mediator's Proposal.
• Plaintiff was an operations manager for an engineering company and claimed gender discrimination and unequal pay based on her gender. She claimed that she was paid less than her male counterparts and her predecessor and that she was not provided the staff and tools to be successful in her position compared to her male counterparts. Defendant argued that Plaintiff was paid equally (and in some instances more) than her male counterparts and that she had the same support as her male counterparts. Defendant argued that it terminated Plaintiff based on performance reasons.
• Plaintiff worked as an E-Commerce Manager for Defendant's online retail shop. Plaintiff claimed that Plaintiff was wrongfully terminated when Defendant terminated her within a week after returning from a 30-day medical leave. Defendant argued that it already had plans for a reorganization in process prior to Plaintiff's leave and that it had legitimate business reasons to terminate Plaintiff. The parties participated in a full-day mediation.

Civil Rights

• Plaintiff and his fiance were visitors at a franchised location of a nationally branded hotel. The general manager approached the plaintiff and the plaintiff's fiance while they were in their car in the parking lot asking questions about whether they belonged there. Plaintiff filed a lawsuit alleging that the general manager racially profiled him and his fiance and that the defendant negligently hired the general manager. The matter resulted in a Mediator's Proposal after a full-day mediation.

General Negligence

• Plaintiff was a middle school student in a public school district that had disabilities and claimed they were bullied and harassed by classmates. Plaintiff stated that they reported the alleged bullying and harassment to the school staff but nothing was done. The Defendant school district argued that it had no knowledge of the alleged bullying and harassment toward Plaintiff and thus, did not breach its duty of care to Plaintiff.

PI Sexual Assault

• Plaintiff is a student at a vocational college and claimed sexual misconduct by a member of the faculty, making a claim for violation of Title IX and a civil tort action. The defendant college denies the claim stating that the plaintiff waited to report the claim and that when the plaintiff reported the claim that it took immediate disciplinary action. Hence, the defense argues there is no right to a private action under Title IX as the matter was resolved.

Premises Liability

• Successfully settled a premises liability case where the plaintiff was a minor and made claims of bullying, physical assault, and negligent supervision by a youth services organization. Defendant claimed that it met its duty of care in providing a safe environment for the plaintiff and that there was no evidence that the plaintiff's injuries were due to any fault of the defendant. After two days of mediation, five months apart, with an opening demand in the seven figures, the case settled in the second session of mediation.