LVBH’s Wendy Musell will be on the panel of a free webinar exploring legal issues on whether religious objections to being vaccinated can or should be accommodated. The virtual event, “Is There a Needle in the Haystack? Exploring Religious Objections to Vaccine Mandates,” will be held on Thursday, September 23, 2021 at 11:30 a.m. PDT. […]
If working from home is affecting your mental health, it’s time to ask for accommodation
For many folks, working from home – since March of 2020 – has taken a huge toll on our health and well-being. For some employees with disabilities, such as ADHD, depression, or anxiety, working at home can be even more difficult. Social isolation and the lack of structure can exacerbate depression, anxiety, ADHD, or other […]
Disability Rights for All of Us in the Time of Coronavirus
As employment lawyers, the most common questions we are hearing are “My company is trying to make me come back to work in the office, but do I really have to put myself at risk?” and “Doesn’t my boss need to let me continue to work from home?” For people who have an underlying medical […]
Darci Burrell Chosen to Edit Disability Rights Chapter in Rutter Guide
Partner Darci Burrell has been selected as a Contributing Chapter Editor for the 2019 Rutter Guide treatise on Employment Law. Ms. Burrell, working with Ann Noel (the Co-Director of the Sexual Harassment/Violence Working Group at the Berkeley Center of Comparative Equality and Anti-Discrimination Law) is responsible for the chapter concerning Disability Discrimination. The treatise is […]
Trial Victory on Behalf of Long-Term Employee of Raley’s
On July 14, 2017, LVBH won an award of both compensatory and emotional distress damages on behalf of Janet Check, a long term employee of Raley’s grocery store. Ms. Check had worked for Raley’s for 32 years, primarily as a bookkeeper. Despite her many years of loyal service, when Ms. Check returned to work after […]
Multi-Million Dollar Verdict for Whistleblower Firefighter
A Solano County jury brought in a $2,357,000 verdict for apprentice firefighter in his lawsuit against the City of Vallejo. The jury found that the Vallejo Fire Department retaliated against Mr. Milan for complaining to OSHA about regulation violations that occurred at a fire, and that the fire department failed to accommodate the post-traumatic stress disorder he developed at the fire. Partners Leslie Levy and Sharon Vinick prosecuted the case through nine weeks of the trial in Milan v. City of Vallejo.
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 […]
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 Wins Multi-Million Verdict for Whistleblower Firefighter
For the second time in less than six months, Levy Vinick Burrell Hyams LLP won a multi-million dollar verdict for an employee seeking vindication of rights in an employment matter. On March 18, 2016, a Solano County jury brought in a $2,357,000 verdict for Plaintiff Todd Milan, an apprentice firefighter, against the City of Vallejo. […]
Six Figure Settlement for Plaintiff Who Was Terminated While on Medical Leave
Partners Leslie Levy and Sharon Vinick filed a complaint on behalf an employee who was sexually harassed, and later terminated following an on-the-job injury. From the beginning of her employment Plaintiff was sexually harassed by a high ranking official of the company. Fearing retaliation, Plaintiff did not report the harassment, but instead tried to avoid […]
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 […]
