By

Hari C

Chief Operating Officer Sues Olive Grove Charter for Wrongful Termination

Dawn Wilson, former Human Resources/Administrative Assistant of the Olive Grove Charter School has sued Olive Grove for wrongful termination, violation of California Labor Codes, and for imposing emotional distress intentionally.

The registered non-profit school’s CEO Laura Mudge calls Wilson’s claims “baseless,” and says Olive Grove intends to defend the lawsuit.

Wilson was promoted twice while working at Olive Grove, and remained in her full-time position of Controller and Chief Operating Officer until she was wrongfully terminated on July 31, 2018.

In early July 2018, Board President Bill Anaya requested that Wilson investigate a grade change to one of Mudge’s daughters grades. Mudge’s daughter had recently graduated from the school, and had been accepted to UC Santa Cruz. Wilson found that Mudge had changed her daughter’s grades, ultimately leading her daughter to get accepted.

Approximately a week after presenting her findings, Wilson was put on Administrative Leave by Mudge as retaliation, and then was notified of her termination from Olive Grove for violating school policy and performing her job poorly. No prior notification had been sent to Wilson about her job performance, leading her to sue for wrongful termination.

If you have been 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.

Ex-Employee Sues Centra for $10M for Sexual Harassment and Wrongful Termination

Stephanie Hale, a former employee of Centra, is suing the company for $10 million after she was wrongfully terminated, and sexually harassed.

Hale formerly worked at the Amherst County substance abuse facility where she had met her former CEO, E.W. Tibbs at her orientation. Shortly after she started working at Centra, Hale started receiving sexually suggestive emails from a man named Ethan Thomas. One of the other female employees at Centra confirmed that Ethan Thomas was actually the CEO E.W. Tibbs, and that he had been sexually harassing her over email as well.

Hale confronted Tibbs about the sexual harassment, and was then forced to take unjustified drug tests. She was later wrongfully terminated in February of 2017 even after the drug test results came back negative.

If you are experiencing sexual harassment in the workplace or have been 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.

 

Former CEO Files Wrongful Termination Lawsuit Against Vungle

Zain Jaffer, the founder of the mobile advertising company Vungle, was removed from his role as CEO as retaliation for being arrested in October 2017.

Jaffer was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon as well as performing a lewd act on his young son, however, all charges were dropped. Vungle blocked Jaffer from selling any of his stocks, and his relationship with Vungle ended with him being wrongfully terminated .

The lawsuit against Vungle references a segment of California’s labor code where it explicitly says the code, “prohibits discrimination and retaliation by employers based upon arrest or detention that did not result in conviction.”

When Jaffer’s charges from 2017 were dropped, he said “Vungle unfairly and unlawfully sought to destroy my career.” Jaffer’s lawsuit does not state how much money is being sought after, but his attorney Joann Rezzo says at least $100 million worth of damage has been done. Rezzo believes it could potentially be worth even more than the original estimate depending on the discretion of the jury.

If you feel that you have been wrongfully terminated by your employer 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.

Deputy Sheriff Files Sexual Harassment Lawsuit After Retaliation

Melanie Keener, the once second-most powerful person in law enforcement in rural northern Nevada was removed from her position and relegated to an isolated desk in the Storey County Courthouse in Virginia City after she reported her boss, Sheriff Gerald Antinoro for sexual harassment.  This ultimately led to her filing a sexual harassment lawsuit.

She stated that “coming forward has broke me.”

This drastic change in her employment ruined her nearly 20-year law enforcement career.  Meanwhile, Antinoro continues to be the top law enforcement official in Storey County as the sheriff.  This was after an investigation was lodged in response to her complaint that found he indeed violated the county’s sexual harassment policy.

The accusations, however, are not limited to Keener’s suit.  The county administrator noted that there have been numerous complaints against the sheriff.  All of which, to the sheriff who is also known as Jerry, has never been prosecuted for.

The lawsuit dives further into the details of the allegation, which began on a business trip to Ely, Nevada for a law enforcement convention in 2015.  After a long night of light drinking and gambling, she received a text message that was read as a clear sexual innuendo.

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.

Ex-Morgan Stanley Broker Loses Wrongful Termination Suit

Ivan Gefen, an ex-Morgan Stanley broker was ordered to repay the firm nearly $2.6 million based on a note balance.  Gefen filed a wrongful termination lawsuit based on age discrimination and other reasons which demanded restitution of at least $5 million in compensatory damages and back pay.  This occurrence caused the firm to issue a counterclaim for the balance and interest on three promissory notes Gefen signed.

Three arbitrators that were assigned the case denied Gefen’s wrongful termination claims in their entirety, as well as the justification of fully satisfied claim against the promissory notes.

The allegations initially argued that Morgan Stanley’s breaches on employment contracts absolve his having to repay the promissory notes.

Morgan Stanley issued a statement that the firm fully expects departing employees to fulfill their loan obligations to the firm and they will take necessary action to ensure that they do.

If you feel that you have been wrongfully terminated by your employer 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.

Children’s Hospital & Medical Center Omaha Sued For Wrongful Termination

Two Nebraska surgeons, Dr. Jason Miller and Dr. Mark Puccioni, have filed a wrongful termination lawsuit against Children’s Hospital & Medical Center Omaha, alleging wrongful suspension and forced resignations after they came out as whistleblowers regarding patient safety concerns.

The concerns were regarding the death of a 7-month old during an operation that was performed by another surgeon, Dr. Adam Conley, as they questioned his skill and ability.  The lawsuit additionally names the hospital’s CEO, Dr. Richard Azizkhan.

The hospital issued a statement backing the executive and medical team along with the inclusion of the tragic loss within the wrongful termination lawsuit.

The wrongful termination lawsuit alleges that Puccioni grew further concerned of Conley’s pediatric neurosurgery abilities and expressed it to the hospital’s administration.  Thereafter, Conley began spreading rumors that Puccioni was abusing drugs although Puccioni passed all drug tests administered to him.  After the tragic death of the 7 month-old patient, both doctors wrote the hospital’s administration questioning Conley’s skills.

Days after, both doctors’ were suspended and were eventually forced to resign.

If you have been 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.

BFM Fires Employees For Sexual Misconduct

The progressive radio station, BFM, has fired two of its employees after a graphic accusation letter alleging sexual harassment went viral.  The company’s stakeholders mutually decided upon the decision based on sufficient evidence that was gathered.

BFM Founder, Malek Ali issued a release that the company’s management team acknowledges that they could have been more proactive and timely with their investigation into the sexual harassment claim.  As a result, the company is planning to revamp its internal grievance processes by instituting training and sexual harassment awareness programs.

The incident occurred at an office party in 2017, where the two former male staff members were accused of sexually harassing female colleagues with sexual propositions and comments on the way they dressed.  This led to the complaint being filed and the company launching an inquiry with independent counsel to probe the filing.

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.

Mariah Carey Settles Sexual Harassment Lawsuit

Mariah Carey settled a lawsuit with her ex-manager, Stella Bulochnikov Stolper, who accused her of sexual harassment.  Stolper’s attorney disclosed that the parties have met a resolution to the matter.  Stella Stolper was Mariah Carey’s manager for 3 years through November 2017.

In the lawsuit, it was claimed that the Grammy Award winner made Stolper uncomfortable as she was often naked in her presence.  When the sexual harassment lawsuit was filed on April 2018, a representative on behalf of Carey stated that the claims were baseless.

The settlement’s value was not disclosed.

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.

Travel Technology Company To Pay $60k In Sexual Misconduct Lawsuit

Travel Technology firm, Inntopia has been ordered to pay $60,000 to Alison Miley who was denied employment after she alleged she was sexually harassed by the company’s former president after she refused his advances.

In May 2018, Miley filed the lawsuit alleging that Craig DeLuca called her into his office to talk about a PR job in late 2016, locked her in and proceeded to sexually harass her.  She swiftly refused his advances.

The suit further alleges that during the spring of 2017, she continued to receive sexually suggestive communications from DeLuca.  After the defendants made an offer to Miley, a judgment will be entered in court.  Inntopia will pay all of the associated attorney’s fees and costs in addition to the restitution, according to the court docket.

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 Santa Barbara Police Dispatch Files Wrongful Termination Suit

Santa Barbara former dispatcher, Bridget Bryden was granted a lawsuit proceeding for being wrongfully terminated in 2016 after alerting her superiors about unsafe working conditions.  The suit alleges that she was terminated wrongfully after filing a complaint that the standards set for new dispatchers have been ignored to fill constant vacant positions.  The claim further states that the new hires posed potential liabilities to the department as they were not fluent in multi-tasking.

The opposing counsel insisted Bridget quit after she was notified about being a part of an internal affairs investigation.  They pushed for the dismissal of the case but was strongly rejected by the judge as there isn’t true evidence to whether Bryden was terminated or indeed quit.  Bryden noted that the investigation was initiated against her shortly after she came out as a whistleblower.

The city attorneys argued that it was all coincidental and there was true legitimacy to the investigation, but the Judge swiftly interceded stating that the timing “is certainly suspect.”  The wrongful termination case is to take place sometime in March.

If you have been 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.