Roseville CA Sexual Harassment Law Blog

Closing arguments have begun in the civil suit against California's Lawrence Livermore Laboratory for age discrimination and wrongful termination. Five employees are seeking at least $6 million in compensatory and punitive damages in connection with the case, which alleges that the laboratory illegally terminated their employment during a wave of layoffs about four years ago.

Official reports show that the suit stemmed from actions taken in May 2009. More than 400 employees were laid off from the laboratory, not only because of the national recession, but also because the facility was transitioning away from nuclear weapons development. Even though administrators at the laboratory argue that the layoffs were performed in strategic sectors without regard to employee pay or seniority, 130 employees say otherwise. They claimed that the company unfairly targeted higher-paid employees during the layoffs.

A former medical director for the Bakersfield Family Medical Center in California has filed a civil suit against his ex-employer in connection with claims that the facility was more concerned with profit than patient care. The man contends that he was the victim of retaliation because he insisted on performing appropriate medical procedures rather than cutting corners. His ethical treatment protocols ultimately led to the demise of his career, he contends.

The suit claims that the man protested against physicians who overruled decisions to provide necessary medical care. He refused to contribute to the facility's scheme to compromise patient care in favor of profit, according to the complaint. He alleges the medical center's chief executive officer and other staff routinely countermanded his treatment decisions. The CEO went so far as to debate treatment options with patients themselves, according to the suit. That manager is now deceased; the medical facility is currently run by a chief operating officer.

A whistleblower investigation at the University of California, Irvine, has prompted the school to pay $1.2 million in connection with Medicare fraud allegations. The school was reportedly allowing resident students at its medical center to administer anesthesia without proper supervision, then billing the federal government as if a licensed doctor was present. The whistleblower suit dates back to 2008, according to media reports.

The man who brought the initial suit will receive $120,000 in settlement money, with the remainder of the $1.2 million going to the federal government. Investigators said the man, a former medical professor at the facility, reported that the doctors were fraudulently billing the federal government. In many instances, the supervising doctors were actually in another room at the time of the procedures, even though documentation said they were present while anesthesia was administered. Those incidents reportedly occurred during the span from 2002 to 2011.

A former employee of the Pacific Investment Management Company, or Pimco, filed a wrongful termination suit after he was allegedly fired for reporting ethical misdeeds by his supervisors. The California man, age 36, had been a high-yield bond portfolio manager at the company when he reported alleged insider trading and bond value manipulation to the federal government. He was reportedly fired shortly after an investigation was launched by the Treasury Department.

The man withdrew his lawsuit just three days after filing, a move that may suggest the company's willingness to settle rather than continue through arduous courtroom proceedings. The man's attorneys are currently negotiating with the financial giant to resolve the dispute.