Partner Sharon Vinick represented an African American woman who alleged that she had been discriminated and retaliated against due to her race and gender, while she was a neurosurgery resident at UCSF. Following her termination for alleged poor performance, Sharon filed suit on her behalf, alleging claims for discrimination, retaliation, and breach of contract. After extensive litigation, the case settled on non-confidential terms.
Discrimination
$3.6 Million Settlement for City Employee Subjected to Retaliation and Wrongful Termination
Partners Darci Burrell and Leslie Levy represented a 27-year employee of the City of Emeryville after she was terminated from her job following a psychiatrist’s report that she was “unfit for duty.” The employee, who was chief union steward at the time of her termination, had challenged racial discrimination, harassment, and unfair treatment by City management throughout her career. Darci and Leslie charted new legal territory in this case by bringing a claim against the psychiatrist, Dr. Stephen Raffle, for “aiding and abetting” the City in retaliating against their client for her years of anti-discrimination advocacy on behalf of herself and others. On the eve of the jury trial, Emeryville agreed to pay an estimated $3.6 million in damages and attorney’s fees to settle the case. The settlement was a vindication for the employee and restored her good name.
Settlement of $600,000 for School Teacher Subject To Disability Discrimination
When the Pleasanton Unified School District refused to provide reasonable accommodations for a veteran school teacher and falsely claimed that the teacher’s disabilities prevented her from performing her job, partner Leslie Levy filed suit. In the end, the school district agreed to a settlement valued at over $600,000 to redress the wrong it inflicted on […]
Jury Verdict and Fee Award of over $1 Million for Grocery Clerk who Albertsons Failed to Accommodate
A Marin County jury found that Albertsons violated the civil rights of a grocery clerk by failing to deliver the reasonable accommodation it had promised. Partner Leslie Levy took the case even though it involved only a single incident of failure to accommodate because she was incensed by the way the employer violated the civil […]
Lawsuits Against BART Result in Improved Access for Disabled Patrons
Partner Leslie Levy brought two cases against BART on behalf of passengers with disabilities. These cases have made the system more accessible to the people with disabilities who rely on BART trains for transportation. Because of one lawsuit, BART installed edge detection rubber flooring at all of its stations to assist people who are blind […]
Confidential Settlement for Woman Retaliated Against After Taking Medical Leave
A woman who missed work because of her serious health condition was fired by her employer under its “no fault” absence policy. Partner Jean Hyams filed suit on her behalf. The employer ended up footing the bill for the plaintiff’s attorneys fees and paying the plaintiff money damages to avoid a jury trial.
Arbitration Award for Employee Terminated After Taking Medical Leave
In a case arbitrated pursuant to a mandatory employment arbitration agreement, partners Jean Hyams and Leslie Levy won a case for a woman who was terminated from her job after taking time off as medical leave. Since the termination took place as part of a major corporate reorganization and the layoff of hundreds of people, […]
LVBH Sues Golden Gate Fields on Behalf of an Injured Groundskeeper
For more than a dozen years, Alejandro Muñoz worked as a year-round Laborer/Groundskeeper at the Golden Gate Fields. He injured his knee at work. In 2015, Muñoz had a knee replacement. Thereafter, his doctor released him to work with no restrictions, because his doctor believe that Mr. Muñoz could perform all the essential functions of his […]
LVBH Files Case on Behalf of Male Firefighter Terminated for Taking Leave to Care for Family
Partner Sharon Vinick, along with co-counsel Jennifer Liu and Rebecca Peterson-Fisher of The Liu Law Firm PC, have filed a case on behalf of Carlo Teruel, a firefighter who worked for the American Canyon Fire Protection District and the City of America Canyon. Mr. Teruel came to work in American Canyon after previously serving as […]
Nursing Home Employee Subjected to Discrimination on Basis of Race and Disability Settles Case
Partner Leslie Levy filed a complaint on behalf of a disabled African American woman who was employed at a Bay Area nursing home facility. The employee was denied approved disability leave and subjected to differential treatment because of her race. Additionally, the employer failed to provide basic accommodations for the employee, such as wheelchair accessible […]
Car Dealership Faces Arbitration for Discrimination and Harassment
LVBH lawyers Jean Hyams and Rebecca Kagin represented a woman who worked in car sales in court and arbitration against a Toyota car dealership for gender and national origin discrimination and harassment. She also brought a claim that the owner of the dealership retaliated against her after she filed a complaint with the California Department […]
Sexual Harassment and Gender Discrimination Case against Nightclub
Partner Sharon Vinick represented a woman who worked as an event planner at a San Francisco nightclub. She was subjected to sexist attitudes and differential treatment on the basis of her gender, including being denied opportunities which were given to her male colleagues. When the the employee complained of the differential treatment, she was terminated. […]
