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Chelsey Zelasko, a former teacher at Grove School, has filed a wrongful termination lawsuit against the school for “unlawful and retaliatory termination.” Zelasko is registered as a Democrat, but was extremely vocal as a Donald Trump supporter while he was running for president. In 2016, Zelasko got involved with a website called betterthantheweekend.com who created a series where they would interview people across the country while they were willingly partially nude.

Zelasko’s interview and photograph, titled “Female Trump Supporter Gets Naked to Make American Great Again” was released on November 1, 2016, where she was posed partially nude with American flags and firearms covering her private areas. The executive director of Grove School, Peter Chorney, called Zelasko telling her he was concerned about the photographs, and then suggested she resign from her position.

In Zelasko’s lawsuit, she argues that her participation with betterthantheweekend.com’s series was her right to free speech. She responded to Chorney in email form, saying that she would return to work unless he told her otherwise. Chorney believed Zelasko was not setting a good example for the students she was educating at the time.

Zelasko was then retaliated against, and she was wrongfully terminated through a letter on April 5, with her lawsuit alleging the Grove School stated it could not “allow itself to be associated with this kind of behavior.” Zelasko is seeking lost wages, punitive damages, attorneys’ fees, and is estimated to be asking for an amount over $15,000.

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.

Tamara Damman, a former instructor for Marshalltown Community College was discharged after complaints from multiple students led to her alleged wrongful termination. On April 17, Damman, an associate professor of dental assisting for almost three years, was told her contract would not be renewed after May 14. She then filed a lawsuit against Iowa Valley Community College District as well as Marshalltown Community College Associate Dean Beth Johanns on April 24.

In the fall of 2018, a student filed a complaint with the Iowa College Aid Commission in regards to Damman’s conduct, but the documents were redacted to a certain degree to protect the students. In response to the question of her conduct, Damman claims in her lawsuit that Johanns and the district have practiced “negligent or reckless hiring, supervision and retention, as well as wrongful termination in violation of public policy.” Damman alleges that Johanns was purposefully interfering with her employment rights.

According to the institution and the laws, however, Damman’s contract was probationary, meaning that her contract as an instructor allowed her to be terminated without cause. The next step in Damman’s case is for her lawyers to continue to collect information, with hopes that her case will either get settled out of court or go to trial.

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.

Jalesa Staton, former manager of the Lids store at the Greenbrier Mall in Virginia, was wrongfully terminated by the retail store as retaliation for filing a complaint against her boss. In July 2013, Staton was working as the assistant manager of a Norfolk Lids store before she was transferred in October 2015 to Greenbrier and promoted to manager. In February 2016, Staton complained about her boss by sending an emailed complaint to the Lids complaint line, but never received a response.

A few weeks after sending the initial email, Staton sent a follow up email regarding her situation, and then sent yet another email on March 14, 2016. Lids’ human resources complaint line responded to her third email, telling Staton they had addressed her concerns and that they “hope that this issue will be resolved going forward.” However, on January 31, 2017, Staton sent a fourth email to human resources regarding her supervisor making unwanted sexual comments to her, and that he had accused her of filing a fabricated sexual harassment complaint. Staton decided to call human resources in addition to her email.

An HR manager responded by phone call telling Staton to simply report to a different supervisor. Two days after the call, Staton was asked to participate in a conference call over the phone with a higher-ranking HR manager, and was told she was now being put on a formal performance improvement plan. On May 15, 2017, Staton was issued a written warning and was involuntarily transferred to a different store. The following day, Staton filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and she was wrongfully terminated on May 31, 2017.

The EEOC filed a lawsuit last week against the two companies who own Lids retail stores. The lawsuit alleges that Lids purposefully retaliated against Staton for issuing a complaint about her boss. In the lawsuit, Staton is asking for back pay, prejudgment interest, and other damages.

If you have been retaliated against, sexually harassed, 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.

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.