Originally Published on August 28, 2020; Revised on February 10, 2021 n the California Court of Appeal decision, Galvan v. Dameron Hospital Association (2019) 37 Cal.App.5th 549, the Court of Appeal discusses the types of workplace statements (by a supervisor) that...
Exclusively Employment Law
Discrimination
Dignity Health to Pay $570K to Settle Disability Discrimination Lawsuit
According to The Sacramento Bee, Dignity Health has been ordered to pay $570,000 to settle a disability discrimination lawsuit filed by a former food service technician, Alina Sorling, against Mercy Medical Center ("Mercy Medical") in Redding, California. Sorling, who...
In the News: Former The Simpsons Composer Sues Twentieth Century Fox Television
Alf Clausen -- the former veteran music composer for The Simpsons -- has filed a lawsuit for age and disability discrimination against Twentieth Century Fox Film and The Walt Disney Company. Clausen, who is 78 years old, started working for Twentieth Century Fox...
The CROWN Act: Outlawing Hair Discrimination
On June 27, 2019, the California legislature passed the CROWN Act (Create a Respectful and Open Workplace for Natural Hair). The CROWN Act makes it unlawful for employers to discriminate against employees for wearing afros, braids, dreadlocks, and twists. Read more...
Former Jack in the Box Employee Wins Age and Disability Discrimination Lawsuit
Last week, a former Jack in the Box employee, Blanca Ramirez, won $15.4 million (consisting of $10 million in punitive damages) in her lawsuit against Jack in the Box. Among other things, Ramirez alleged age and disability discrimination. Ramirez was 53 years old at...
Disability Discrimination: Being “Perceived As” Having a Disability
Originally Published on June 19, 2019; Revised on April 28, 2021 Have you been subjected to disability discrimination in the workplace? Do you have an impairment that is considered a "physical disability" under California law? California law defines "physical...
Former Employee Sues Thomas Keller’s Restaurants for Discrimination
According to US News & World Report, a “former employee of celebrated American chef Thomas Keller is suing him and his three-star Michelin restaurants for pregnancy discrimination.” Former employee Vanessa Scott-Allen alleges that “she was denied a job transfer...
In the News: California Laws Protecting Transgender Employees
A recent article in The National Law Review gives a helpful overview of the new California legal developments that provide greater protections for transgender employees. Read the full article, entitled "Transgender Individuals in the Workplace: An Overview of...
Forbes Article on Gender Discrimination at Work
According to Forbes, "[m]ore than a third of employees have seen a person in a position of power take advantage of subordinates of the opposite sex," and "[n]early a quarter of women believe their careers have suffered because they turned down romantic attention from...
In the News: Age Discrimination in Nursing
According to an editorial in Modern Healthcare, “[contributing] to age prejudice [in the nursing profession] is the advent of new technologies like electronic health records, patient-monitoring systems and even devices driven by artificial intelligence.” And “[a]s the...