Employment

Sales exec says he brought in business but did not get paid; employer goes bankrupt and plaintiff proceeds on alter ego theory against primary stockholder.

Water district supervisors say they wanted to test how cashiers would react in life-threatening situation, so they stage an armed robbery.

Supermarket clerk is reclassifed as a manager, terminated after an illness. $723,645 verdict includes $500,000 punitives. Demand was only $199,999.

Claims manager, a 28-year employee, protests treatment of his ex-wife, also a Kemper employee.  He is defamed by co-workers and fired.

Corporate controller claims Playboy asked for accounting entry that violated Sarbanes-Oxley Act; when she refused they retaliated against her and later wrongfully terminated her employment.

Older, higher paid manager is harassed by supervisors at Staples, but he won't resign and is later terminated.  Jury awards major punitive damages.

Psychologist at State Mental Hospital says she was terminated in violation of public policy after she complained about trial competency evaluation procedures.

Psychiatrist working for state at prison hospital claims she suffers from ADHD and depression, asks for accommodations but says she was refused. 

Bus driver with chronic health conditions is fired for repeated absences, but he claims that he is disabled and L.A. Metro failed to make reasonable accommodations. Offer of $100,000 before trial, but jury says $1.9 million.

Experienced claims adjuster is fired at age 60, says younger adjusters and supervisor discriminated against her. She is fired after going out on medical leave for stress.

Los Angeles city gardener, a 63-year-old white man, says Hispanic foreman discriminated against him; that the City regularly discriminated against Caucasian employees in his department.

57-year-old production worker is fired when he fails to clean out a storage trailer after being told to do so; he says that he was physically injured off-the-job and unable to perform the task.