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Jesse Board, an EMT, Emergency Medical Technician, from Illinois has filed a wrongful termination lawsuit against his former employer, Putnam County Emergency Services. The suit alleges that Board was fired in retaliation of him reporting other EMTs for not responding to emergency calls. His employers failed to act on the situation and discipline the employees.

Board was wrongfully terminated in December of 2018, and filed a complaint in April against Putnam County Emergency Services as reported by the West Virginia Record. Board is seeking reinstatement as an EMT along with backpay, interest, and for his attorney fees and court costs to be paid.

If you have been wrongfully terminated please contact the attorneys at the California Employment Legal Group today for a free consultation with an experienced employment lawyer who will clearly explain your rights and options under the law.

A lawsuit has been filed against LaCroix’s parent company National Beverage Corp. by a former employee. Allegedly, the National Beverage Corp. president, Joseph Caporella, planned to make a false claim regarding LaCroix’s beverage cans being made of a toxic chemical called BPA.

Albert Dejewski, former vice president of the company, objected to the plan since he did not want to participate in the cover up. He was then wrongfully terminated the following day in retaliation. The lawsuit claims that Dejewski had been threatened over email by Caporella prior to being fired on April 11 over the phone.

In April 2018, Caporella planned to prematurely announce that LaCroix cans would be BPA-free going forward even though the production date was months after. The lawsuit states LaCroix was four to six months away from actually switching to BPA-free cans. Dejewski’s allegations of being wrongfully terminated in retaliation for objecting the announcement are backed up by the positive performance feedback he had always received prior to the announcement.

Dejewski is seeking damages for lost salary and benefits for the emotional distress and humiliation he had to endure for being wrongfully terminated.

If you have been retaliated against or wrongfully terminated by your employer, please contact the attorneys at the California Employment Legal Group today for a free consultation with an experienced employment lawyer who will clearly explain your rights and options under the law.

Ivania Centeno, an employee of the Bon Appetit café in San Francisco for 13 years won her wrongful termination lawsuit against the company after 2 Investigates aired a report regarding her situation. In the lawsuit, Centeno claimed her mother-in-law became deathly ill, and Centeno was given permission by the company to fly to Nicaragua to help take care of her. The mother-in-law passed away, and when Centeno came back to her job, Bon Appetit terminated her for missing too many days of work. They also stated that her mother-in-law did not qualify for the family leave policy.

According to California’s paid leave law, taking care of in-laws is in fact covered. On the other hand, the California Family Rights Act says differently. The reasoning for a slow resolution to Centeno’s lawsuit is because the laws are unclear on which law takes precedence over the other.

Centeno’s termination from Bon Appetit was blamed on a computer software. Her recent absences from work due to a work-related injury were entered into the system, leading the computer system to conclude she should be terminated. After 2 Investigates got involved in the lawsuit, Centeno won. She was given back pay, unemployment benefits, and was presented with $211,795 in attorney fees as well as $25,603 in court costs.

If you have been wrongfully terminated please contact the attorneys at the California Employment Legal Group today for a free consultation with an experienced employment lawyer who will clearly explain your rights and options under the law.

MedMen’s former Chief Financial Officer James Parker filed a wrongful termination lawsuit against the cannabis retailer in January after he was allegedly unable to do his job after being stripped of his powers. Since then, three senior executives including the Chief Operating Officer and the Senior Vice President have left the company along with almost 100 other employees.

MedMen’s current Chief Executive Officer Adam Bierman has stated in a blog post that the allegations are “designed to get attention for what is a meritless lawsuit,” and that the claims go against the company’s values. Parker’s wrongful termination lawsuit is currently pending in the Los Angeles County Superior Court. Adam Bierman was unable to be reached for any comments on the pending lawsuit.

If you feel that you have been wrongfully terminated and would like to know your rights as an employee in the state of California, please contact the attorneys at the California Employment Legal Group today for a free consultation with an experienced employment lawyer.

Former Beaufort County council clerk and administrative assistant, Ashley Bennett, has filed a federal lawsuit alleging that Beaufort County Councilman Gerald Dawson sexually harassed her. In her lawsuit, she claims Dawson inappropriately touched her and made sexual comments beginning in September of 2016 when she started her position as clerk of council.

Bennett was hesitant to report Dawson’s sexual harassment in fear that it would lead to retaliation and termination. She states in her lawsuit that she tried to divert Dawson’s unwanted attention without having to make management aware of it.

In March of 2017, Dawson asked Bennett to download a mobile app that allowed video sharing between users solely for the purpose of wanting to “show her something,” according to the lawsuit, but she refused. Bennett also reported that Dawson inappropriately touched her in the office, and began hugging her without her consent. Bennett says that she told Dawson the touching made her uncomfortable, but he persisted and eventually tried to kiss her on the mouth twice in the same month.

An investigation took place in April 2018, but investigators told Bennett nothing could be done since Dawson was an elected official. After the complaints were made public in the office, Bennett was ostracized by co-workers. She ended up telling Josh Gruber, the interim county administrator, that she was resigning due to the sexual harassment she was receiving from Dawson.

Bennett is suing Beaufort County and the Beaufort City Council for sexual discrimination and harassment. The lawsuit seeks back pay, bonuses, and benefits, stating that Bennett had no choice but to resign based on her alleged hostile environment.

If you feel that you have been retaliated against for being a whistleblower of sexual harassment and would like to know your rights as an employee in the state of California, please contact the attorneys at the California Employment Legal Group today for a free consultation with an experienced employment lawyer.

Elena Pop, a former physician at the Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, has filed a lawsuit against the cancer center and her former bosses for allegedly allowing gender discrimination against women in the workplace.

Pop will be the fifth discrimination complaint against Roswell within the last two years. She alleges that Roswell turned a blind eye to her internal complaints about the discrimination she was enduring for being a mother of twins and working full-time. After filing the complaints, Pop says her supervisors then retaliated against her when they “humiliated and intimidated her as part of a campaign to demote and eventually fire her,” according to The Buffalo News.

Allegedly, Pop was terminated solely due to the concern of her being able to balance motherhood and work. She was offered a demotion, but refused to accept it and wanted to continue working in her existing position. The disagreement between her and her supervisors eventually led to her wrongful termination.

In the lawsuit, she is claiming both professional and emotional harm due to her treatment in the workplace at Roswell, and is seeking an unspecified amount in damages.

If you feel that you have been wrongfully terminated or discriminated against for your gender and would like to know your rights as an employee in the state of California, please contact the attorneys at the California Employment Legal Group today for a free consultation with an experienced employment lawyer.

Lisa Briggs-Miller, 57, has filed a lawsuit against Turing Pharmaceuticals for allegedly discriminating against her on the basis of disability. After being diagnosed with breast cancer in September 2017 and going through chemotherapy treatment, Briggs-Miller returned to work full-time after only being diagnosed a couple of months prior.

Briggs-Miller asked if she could work as a telesales representative while she recovered from her surgery, but Turing told her they would cut her pay by 50% if she worked from home. Ten months later on July 30, 2018, she was laid off over the phone by her boss, Walter Gordon Drane. He claimed her territory was being dissolved, and that her position would be removed.

Briggs-Miller was told the bad news two weeks after informing Drane of her double mastectomy surgery date, and she was laid off the day after he approved time-off for it. However, Turing Pharmaceuticals denies ever being made aware of her reconstructive surgery.

In her lawsuit, Briggs-Miller alleges she was denied reasonable accommodation for her disability while working full-time, and that she was retaliated against for filing a complaint about the lack of accommodations for her disability that violate the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Briggs-Miller is seeking an unspecified amount in damages, claiming she lost compensation and benefits, along with the attorney fees and charges she would not have had to pay if Turing had given her accommodations.

If you feel that you have been wrongfully terminated or discriminated against for your disability and would like to know your rights as an employee in the state of California, please contact the attorneys at the California Employment Legal Group today for a free consultation with an experienced employment lawyer.

Dorothy Bonsant, an employee who has worked for the fire marshal’s office in Maine since 2008 has filed a lawsuit alleging that her co-worker, Sgt. Scott Richardson, sexually harassed her. The lawsuit states that Bonsant was subjected to sexual harassment by Richardson until October 2017.

The allegations against Richardson include showing perverse interest in Bonsant, sending inappropriate emails, continuously mentioning her appearance, and in late 2015 he moved his cubicle directly next to hers in order to have more interactions with her. Richardson then proceeded to seek hugs from Bonsant, which she opposed, and in 2017, he grabbed her by the hips and squeezed them with force, asking her to join him in his camper.

Shortly after Bonsant filed a complaint with HR at the fire marshal’s office, she was told Richardson had threatened to kill two co-workers in 2016 after Richardson allegedly made comments about a potential employee that were age discrimination-based. After hearing about the threats, Bonsant missed 184.5 hours of work for sick days, compensatory days, and vacation time due to her sleepless nights and fear for her safety.

Bonsant’s lawsuit states that the state of Maine allowed illegal sexual discrimination to occur since the state fire marshal’s office failed to protect Bonsant in the workplace, and has yet to take any action against Richardson. Both Richardson and Bonsant still work for the Office of State Fire Marshal. Bonsant’s lawsuit seeks back pay, damages, attorney fees, and more.

If you are experiencing sexual harassment in the workplace, please contact the attorneys at the California Employment Legal Group today for a free consultation with an experienced employment lawyer who will clearly explain your rights and options under the law.

Former Texas Christian University employee Ricardo Avitia, has filed a lawsuit against the university for discrimination after he asked for a new work status due to his workload, which was instead given to a white female worker.

Avitia, a Hispanic veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps, wanted to work over 40 hours a week without initiating overtime pay in order to process financial aid applications for military veteran students. Avitia’s new work status request was denied, and TCU retaliated against him after he asked why a white co-worker received the status while he did not. He was then placed on a performance improvement plan because he was “failing to keep up with an increased workload” after he filed his complaint.

On April 26, 2018, Avitia was terminated. He filed a lawsuit on May 13, 2019 stating that he had been discriminated against due to his race, causing him to be the target of termination. Avitia is seeking between $200,000 and $1 million for damages not only for him, but also for his children who can no longer afford to attend TCU.

If you feel that you have been wrongfully terminated or discriminated against for your race and would like to know your rights as an employee in the state of California, please contact the attorneys at the California Employment Legal Group today for a free consultation with an experienced employment lawyer.

Bobby Hoskins, a 60-year-old former patrolman, has filed a federal lawsuit alleging that he was fired by the Charleston County Aviation Authority police department at the International Airport because of his age. Hoskins was hired in 2007, and was promoted less than a year after that. Over the course of ten years, Hoskins worked as a training officer, where he was given positive performance reviews and received raises on a yearly basis.

In March of 2017, a younger supervisor gave Hoskins his worst performance evaluation he had seen in years, leaving Hoskins to believe it was a way to force him into retirement. A year after the performance review, the supervisor threatened Hoskins to “self-demote” otherwise it would not end well for him. In April of 2018, the supervisor told Hoskins he would have to participate in a summary review, at which time Hoskins acquired legal counsel in order to write an official document describing the age discriminatory actions that had been taken against him.

Several days later, Hoskins was placed on administrative leave for handling a male passenger touching a female passenger poorly. After he was placed on administrative leave, he was terminated for allegedly mishandling the situation despite no action being taken against the four other employees who were also involved in handling the incident.

Hoskins’ lawsuit alleges that his supervisor was attempting to build a case to get Hoskins fired by allowing Hoskins’ fellow squad members to contact the supervisor directly and climb up the chain of command. The Charleston County Aviation Authority police department is being sued by Hoskins for wrongful termination due to age discrimination, and the suit is seeking damages including back pay and attorney costs.

If you have been wrongfully terminated or discriminated against for your age, please contact the attorneys at the California Employment Legal Group today for a free consultation with an experienced employment lawyer who will clearly explain your rights and options under the law.