On behalf of Anthony J. Poidmore, Attorney at Law posted in Hostile Work Environment on Friday, May 18, 2012
A counselor from Berkeley High School faces a seven-day suspension this summer because of alleged sexual harassment of a student. He also must work under specified restrictions, say school officials. The alleged incident occurred during the 2009-2010 school year, according to reports.
Under terms of the settlement reached with the girl who leveled the allegations, the counselor will serve his seven-day suspension after school is out this summer. Perhaps worse is that he will now be required to keep his office door and blinds open while counseling students in his office, except under very specific conditions that require confidentiality. He will also be prohibited from calling students out of class without previous administrator approval.
On behalf of Anthony J. Poidmore, Attorney at Law posted in Wrongful Termination on Thursday, May 10, 2012
A former NASA tech worker has filed a suit against the agency, alleging that he was unfairly fired during a round of cuts in 2011. Coworkers and supervisors said the man had a penchant for hot-button political and religious topics, but should that have cost him his job? That is what is up for consideration in this contentious wrongful termination suit.
The man was laid off from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a NASA facility that is run by Caltech. The agency contends that he was dismissed largely because his skill set was obsolete and his attitude was unacceptable, but the employee argues otherwise.
On behalf of Anthony J. Poidmore, Attorney at Law posted in Wrongful Termination on Friday, May 4, 2012
Many workers are dismissed each year because they perpetuate sexual harassment in their places of employment. An unusual California case shows us that sexual harassment accusations can take on a variety of contexts, even in local public schools. Even though certain activities may not be illegal throughout the U.S., some employers think that they can outlaw those actions simply because they find them offensive.
A 31-year-old high school science teacher in California is appealing her dismissal from the Oxnard School District after Internet video revealed that she has starred in several adult films. The woman is accusing the district of wrongful termination in the case, with her lawyers contending that she was engaged in a lawful pursuit that constitutes big business throughout Los Angeles and other parts of the state.
On behalf of Anthony J. Poidmore, Attorney at Law posted in Wrongful Termination on Friday, April 27, 2012
Protestors turned out in droves to confront the management staff of celebrity hot spot The Ivy in Los Angeles this week for allegedly firing a busboy because he is HIV-positive. The man has filed a wrongful termination suit against the establishment, claiming that administrators fired him after he presented them with a doctor's note.
The note indicated that the man had a chronic condition that would require lifetime care, according to the plaintiff in the case. That note was issued by the Jeffrey Goodman Special Care Clinic, a facility that is well-known throughout the area for treating a high volume of HIV-positive patients.
On behalf of Anthony J. Poidmore, Attorney at Law posted in Quid Pro Quo Sexual Harassment on Friday, April 20, 2012
In recent weeks, residents in Sacramento have seen intimate details emerge from an incident involving famed college football coach Bobby Petrino.
Petrino was involved in a motorcycle accident, but his physical condition was not the focal point of the case. Petrino, who is married with four children, had a 25-year-old woman on his motorcycle at the time. She was a former volleyball player at the school where he coaches. He admitted to having an inappropriate relationship and also hired her on to his staff and gave her $20,000 for unknown reasons. Outsiders looking in might see this as requests for sexual favors in return for a promotion.
On behalf of Anthony J. Poidmore, Attorney at Law posted in Hostile Work Environment on Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Female drivers for one of the biggest trucking companies in the United States have claimed that they were subjected to unbearable job conditions as they trained for their positions. After hitting the road for cross-country training runs with male drivers, these female employees have offered disturbing accounts of harassment and abuse.
One female trainee explained that she learned nothing during her time on the training run. Instead, she said she was both beaten and groped by her supervisor. This misconduct came to light back in 2005 after a driver complained that her trainer made frequent sexually crude remarks to her as she trained. She was later placed with another driver that told her she must have sex with him, otherwise he would not give her a passing grade.
On behalf of Anthony J. Poidmore, Attorney at Law posted in Whistle Blower on Friday, April 6, 2012
A whistleblower at the Screen Actors Guild Pension & Health Plan is arguing that the company wrongfully terminated him because he worked to expose corrupt behavior in the company's ranks. In the recent lawsuit, the former high-ranking official with the Screen Actors Guild Pension & Health Plan issued official complaints about the company's CEO, who is currently still working for the company.
If these allegations prove to be true, many high-ranking officials at the company could potentially be terminated for their roles. The Screen Actors Guild Pension & Health Plan governs $2 billion on behalf of the Screen Actors Guild, a group for actors and actresses.
On behalf of Anthony J. Poidmore, Attorney at Law posted in Hostile Work Environment on Friday, March 30, 2012
Many men and women would consider prison as a hostile work environment. While this environment is different from that of most traditional companies, prison workers still have their rights. They should not be subjected to unbearable job conditions if it can be helped. This is what a group of female guards in the California state prison system are arguing.
A group that was aiming to represent both current and former guards in the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation argue that they have been subjected to sexually charged comments and actions from prisoners ever since 1989. While harassment from inmates might appear to come with the territory, the female officers claim that the state of California has done nothing to put an end to these instances.
On behalf of Anthony J. Poidmore, Attorney at Law posted in Retaliation on Friday, March 23, 2012
A man who formerly served as the deputy chief for the Burbank Police Department must await a decision by jurors in a case where he accused his superiors of firing him in retaliation for revealing misdeeds within the department.
The former officer claims that he was relieved of his duties when he made reports of both discrimination and sexual harassment within the police department. He was demoted to a lower job before being fired. Now, the former officer issued a lawsuit where he stands to receive anywhere between $1 million and $6 million, depending on the jury's decision.
On behalf of Anthony J. Poidmore, Attorney at Law posted in Quid Pro Quo Sexual Harassment on Friday, March 16, 2012
An administrator at UC Berkley violated the school's sexual harassment policy by increasing the pay of a co-worker she was involved with intimately. The university has taken action by decreasing the administrator's pay, but her yearly salary still sits at $175,000. When it comes to a situation like this, a sexual harassment violation can have a large effect not only on those involved but other workers at the company.
The 47-year-old woman, who used to serve as an assistant vice chancellor, issued the man -- a purchasing manager -- five raises over the course of two years. The 30-year-old man's salary went from $70,000 in 2007 to $110,000 in 2010. The man's direct supervisor continually fought the woman on the raises, informing her that they were not merited. Still, the woman allegedly pressured the supervisor into going along with them.
