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In what appears to be a disturbing pattern at El Camino College, the university has agreed to a settlement in their second Torrance sexual harassment case.
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Torrance sexual harassment attorney Houman Fakhimi is well-versed in The Contra Costa Times reports that a 53-year-old administrative assistant at the college alleged that she endured sexual harassment for six years from the previous vice president, who also served as dean.

The harassment encompassed a range of behaviors, according to court records. Her boss, she said, stared at her chest, touched, kissed and groped her without her permission and even made demands for sex. The former vice president reportedly threatened to give her poor job evaluations or even fire her if she didn’t have sex with him.

In the end, rather than take the case to court, the university settled with the administrative assistant for a sum of $750,000. Perhaps the decision had something to do with another case that had been filed little more than a year before this one.

In the previous case, another former administrative assistant was awarded a sum of $2.5 million for her sexual harassment suit – against the same official, who is now in his mid-70s. Her allegations included not only harassment, such offering her hundreds of dollars to have sex with him, but an actual sexual assault in which the elder administrator reportedly raped her in a locked office.

The administrator didn’t deny he had a sexual relationship with the 34-year-old secretary, but says it was consensual.

Even one claim of sexual harassment is enough to tarnish any employer. Two would signal a serious problem. However, the allegations of sexual harassment at El Camino don’t stop there.

In fact, the most recent settlement marks the fourth case of alleged sexual harassment lobbed at school administrators in a single year. The two other cases went to trial, with the college coming up on the winning side. Still, it seems indicative of a greater culture at the university that this type of behavior – some of which is outright criminal – was allowed to thrive. Multiple allegations of sexual harassment tend to bolster one another, and can lead to an employer who is eager to reach an outside settlement, rather than have the case drag on in court.

In both cases, the women say they were afraid to complain for fear they might lose their jobs. In fact, the aggressor in this case told at least one of the women that he was close with the union president, who would believe him over her if she ever mentioned a word of the harassment to anyone.

In the most-recently settled case, an internal university investigation cleared the dean of wrongdoing. But this just goes to show why you need an experienced Torrance sexual harassment attorney at every step of the way in these cases. Just because the employer dismisses wrongdoing doesn’t mean nothing happened – and it doesn’t mean you aren’t entitled to compensation.

In both cases, the college paid about a third of the money, while insurance covered the rest, according to the newspaper.
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“Desperate Housewives” Actress Nicollette Sheridan knows how to carry out a good cliffhanger – though the scene isn’t usually a drama played out in a real-life courtroom. At issue in this Los Angeles wrongful termination lawsuit. She is alleging her character, Edie Britt, was killed off in retaliation following a complaint she made about a writer who she said struck her on the head over an argument about the script.

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Los Angeles Wrongful Termination Lawyer Houman Fakhimi has come across many cases in which an employer retaliates against an employee for raising concerns or complaints about workplace safety. Some employers simply don’t want to deal with the hassle. Rather than addressing the core safety issue, they find it easier to rid themselves of the employee, often for made-up or exaggerated reasons.

One recent case that comes to mind was an AirTran Airways pilot, who was fired after filing numerous complaints voicing alarm about mechanical malfunctions on the aircraft. His termination followed a 17-minute hearing, in which the airline did little to provide even the appearance of fairness before giving him the ax. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration ultimately ordered not only that he be reinstated, but be paid $1 million in back pay, interest and damages.

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A celebrity television chef must fork over more than $5 million after employees said he stiffed them on their tips, thereby violating the federal Capsolas v. Pasta Resources Inc. – pitted chef Mario Batali against a hot of workers who said he cheated them out of tips made specifically on wine sales.

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In an exceedingly unusual case of Los Angeles workplace danger, a chemistry professor at UCLA is facing criminal charges following a lab fire that resulted in the death of a 23-year-old assistant.

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Orange County employment attorney Houman Fakhimi has been closely following the developments of this case, which stem from an incident in 2008. The professor is facing an upcoming arraignment on several counts of willfully violating the standards set forth by the Occupational Safety & Health Administration.

Here’s what reportedly happened, according to the L.A. Times:

The assistant was in the lab in late December 2008 handling a syringe to transfer a chemical from one container to another. She apparently was not wearing a protective lab coat. The syringe somehow came apart in her hands. The chemical compound, known as t-butyl lithium, catches fire when exposed to oxygen. The assistant suffered severe burns over half her body and died less than a month later.

The chemistry professor, who was overseeing the program, as well as several others within the chemistry department, have been accused of not reporting unsafe working conditions, not requiring appropriate safety gear and clothing and not offering enough safety training.

The 42-year-old professor is facing nearly five years in prison, while the regents of the program could be fined as much as $4.5 million.

The case has raised a host of concerns about safety at the university, as well as the training and supervision provided by the professor, considered a prominent figure in the field. He had joined the school just a few months prior to the incident.

The Times reports that this is the first case of its kind, in which someone in the academic field is charged criminally as the result of a death in the lab. Our Orange County employment attorneys realize that all employers have a responsibility to do everything possible to protect workers. Usually, we don’t think of fatal workplace accidents as happening outside of perhaps the construction industry. Clearly, though, that’s not the case, and the legal system is now pushing for accountability.

Last year, the college was fined nearly $32,000 by the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health, saying the assistant wasn’t properly trained and wasn’t wearing the right gear.

The university defends the professor, calling the charges “outrageous” and “appalling,” and saying the assistant had been properly trained, and that the incident was simply an experiment that went tragically wrong.

An attorney for the family vehemently disagrees, saying that the failure of the professor and school as a whole to implement appropriate precautions led to an extremely painful death for the assistant, a Pakistani native and recent college graduate. Furthermore, the attorney said, the factors that led to her death were not accidental – they were negligent.

The professor is talking a possible plea deal with prosecutors, though it’s not yet clear what the terms of that may be.
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While many cases of discrimination in Newport Beach relate to on-the-job issues, it is possible for a person in the public to face these same problems.

Newport Beach discrimination lawyers have seen examples of consumers who are denied service or rights based on an employee’s bias or racism. Discrimination in public has no place in our society just like discrimination in the workplace. People have the right to be treated equally, regardless of how they look or talk.
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In a recent case in Newport Beach, an upscale steakhouse printed receipts for a black customer with a racial epithet instead of the man’s real name. The case was scheduled to be heard by a jury, but the two sides reached a settlement. The amount of the settlement hasn’t been revealed.

According to news reports, the settlement came after the Newport Beach discrimination lawyers for the man were able to investigate the restaurant’s receipts to look for other examples of widespread racism. After being allowed by the court to search the restaurant’s records, attorneys allegedly found 12 other examples of blatant racist comments, the Orange County Weekly is reporting.

The restaurant’s owners stated that the restaurant group doesn’t discriminate against any group of people. While there may not be the view at the top, clearly some employees think otherwise. The newspaper reports that a bartender was responsible for the actions and that employee has been fired.

The customer apparently frequented the restaurant, had brought guests there and was even a generous tipper. But after noticing his receipt after a return to his home, the man confronted restaurant managers and other employees, who apologized and tried to downplay any notion of bigotry.

There have been other recent examples of employees who have printed receipts for customers using racial names. This type of bigotry has no place in our society. If immature workers think this sort of thing is funny, they shouldn’t be working.

And sometimes the problem isn’t just with the individual employee. The problem may start at the top and trickle down. If there is an environment of discrimination, where it is seen as acceptable or a joke, then employees feel more comfortable having these attitudes.

Consumers, like employees, have rights. They must be treated fairly and can’t face discrimination based on race, religion, gender, age, disability, national origin, sexual orientation or other bogus reasons. If they do, both California and federal laws are designed to protect them from these types of actions.

But the only way to stop these sorts of actions is to fight back. Filing a discrimination charge with the government is a start. Sometimes litigation is necessary to ensure that this wrong doesn’t go unpunished. In either situation, the victim should have strong legal representation to ensure his or her rights are protected and the best possible outcome is reached.
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The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputy who arrested actor Mel Gibson for DUI in 2006 has agreed to a $50,000 settlement with the sheriff’s department for retaliation, the Los Angeles Times is reporting.

Retaliation in Newport Beach can be a problem in a variety of situations in the workplace. If a worker speaks out about discrimination and then starts to feel he or she isn’t getting the same type of opportunities, accounts, training or promotion, this may be a classic case of retaliation. California employment laws are designed to protect employees who may need help being treated fairly.
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Newport Beach employment lawyers understand that retaliation has no place in an employee-employer relationship. A person shouldn’t be looked down upon for trying to do what is right. Whether it’s reporting discrimination or following ethical guidelines that may ruffle some feathers, the law is designed to ensure those employees are protected.

According to the news article, the 2006 arrest, which made international headlines, has been causing the deputy problems ever since. The deputy alleges that his supervisors retaliated against him ever since he refused to remove the actor’s anti-Semitic slurs from the initial police report.

It was those slurs — more than the arrest itself — that made the story such a big one. The deputy’s Fullerton employment lawyer told the Times that the settlement wasn’t done for the money, but rather the principle of the matter. The deputy said he was “constantly in fear” when he went to work.

The deputy, who was assigned to handling DUI arrests in Malibu at the time, said he included the actor’s words, “the Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world” to illustrate the level of intoxication.

A supervisor told the deputy that the material in the police report was “not acceptable” because the comments weren’t relevant to the DUI arrest. He said bosses instructed him to remove the comments and include them in a supplementary report that wouldn’t have been available to the public initially.

He eventually followed orders and created a separate report that was placed in a locked safe, along with recordings and evidence found in Gibson’s car. But the report was leaked to celebrity news site TMZ.com and officials later discovered calls between the deputy’s home and TMZ founder Harvey Levin.

The sheriff’s department was criticized for its handling of the case, including allowing Gibson to leave the station without being fingerprinted and without signing a statement to appear in court. He was also driven to the tow yard by a sergeant.

The deputy did the right thing for standing up for the correct way of handling things. If law enforcement is going to be starstruck because of an actor, policies and personnel need to change. It appears from the article that deputy was placed in a difficult work environment after the fact, which qualifies as retaliation. No worker should have to deal with that.
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A pharmaceutical company was recently slapped with a $99 million settlement for not paying sales representatives overtime pay, Bloomberg Businessweek is reporting.

Orange County employment lawyers have seen many types of companies that try to twist rules and cut corners to maximize their profits. Sadly, executives — making six or seven figures a year, plus stock options — view low-level employees solely as a means to make this money.
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In some cases, businesses will look at wages or overtime as a way to save money. Often, though, this leads to a wage or hour dispute in Santa Ana. If companies are directing supervisors to falsify time sheets or deny money for work done, it can lead to complaints and lawsuits. Sometimes, these matters require the skills of an experienced lawyer to ensure the employee doesn’t get shorted.

In this case, according to the news article, the company found itself as a defendant in a lawsuit involving 7,000 former and current employees. A judge recently agreed to a $99 million settlement in the case, which goes back to 2006.

Workers settled the case before the U.S. Supreme Court was ready to decide if drug makers must pay overtime to up to 90,000 sales representatives. A drug company is challenging whether federal wage-and-hour laws protect sales employees.

According to court records in the case, sales representatives say they were denied overtime pay, in violation of federal wage laws. This federal law deals with most public and private employment and includes laws and rules for different types of industries.

A lower court has ruled that sales representatives should be allowed to receive overtime pay and now the nation’s high court is set to hear arguments on the matter. These workers may be entitled to back pay and lost wages.

Businesses will try to save money any way they can and doing it through the hard work of their employees is certainly an option they consider. Sadly, this can lead to major financial problems for an employee who is working more than 40 hours a week and not being paid for it.

In cases like this, it’s necessary to hire an experienced Orange County employment lawyer before you discuss the matter with your employer. If companies admit to fault, it can open up a wave of problems for them, so often when they don’t pay a worker overtime, they will continue to deny it and defend themselves in court, if necessary. Don’t let the company break the law and win.
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A firefighter recently settled his Los Angeles sexual harassment case with the Los Angeles Fire Department after it was proven co-workers harassed him at work over a church sex scandal, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Many people believe that sexual harassment in the workplace only happens to women from male subordinates, but this simple isn’t the case. Orange County sexual harassment lawyers have seen many cases where men face harassment at work from female bosses or even male co-workers who aren’t following company protocols and procedures.
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The Catholic Church scandal and other sexual abuse allegations made against churches and religious organizations have brought forward a new crop of victims. And as these cases have become public, they have garnered much media attention. This unwanted attention from people who have grown up with dark secrets can lead to problems at work.

If co-workers find out that an employee has a pending lawsuit against a church for alleged sexual abuse, someone may inappropriately try to talk about it at work. If the victim tells co-workers or management they don’t want to talk about the personal issue at work, but people persist, it could qualify as sexual harassment.

That’s what happened in this case. According to the Los Angeles Times, the firefighter had filed a lawsuit against the Los Angeles Archdiocese over alleged sexual abuse. When a co-worker found about about it, it led to others mocking the man and using sexually explicit language.

The man filed a formal complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in 2007 and the commission found in his favor that he was harassed. The department recently announced it would pay him $494,150 to settle the case. On top of the payment, the department must enforce policies against discrimination, retaliation and harassment. The department will also have to offer an equal employment opportunity complaint system.

Comments made to a person in a work setting should be work-related and not used to intimidate or harass another person. Certainly, people can form relationships that become friendly at work and that is fine. But as the barriers between co-worker and friend begin to blur, this can lead to possible examples of harassment.

This is also true in cases where two co-workers don’t get along. If one outwardly shows that they don’t like the other, their comments can more easily be seen as harassing in nature. Businesses and agencies must have policies and training in place to avoid these types of situations.

A worker should not have to deal with sexual harassment in the workplace. Any crude jokes, inappropriate stories or shared emails can make a person not only uncomfortable working there, but also make it so they are less productive. If the bosses and company aren’t enforcing policies or they don’t have policies in place, they can be held liable.
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Los Angeles County officials recently decided to halt providing funds to pay for housing investigators in Palmdale and Lancaster after allegations were made that they were targeting minorities for eviction, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Our Westminster employment lawyers often blog about the issues associated with discrimination practices that happen in a workplace setting. But discrimination can happen in public and with the government as well.
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California and federal laws that prohibit Westminster discrimination apply not only to workers, but also to those who are trying to obtain public housing.

California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act prohibits discrimination for the following reasons:

-Race -Color -Religion -Sex -Sexual Orientation -Marital Status -National Origin -Ancestry -Familial Status -Disability -Source of Income
Additionally, the Unruh Civil Rights Act prohibits discrimination for all business establishments. This includes private businesses and people who are involved in selling or renting housing. So, people are protected from discrimination, even though it still can happen.

In the desert communities of Lancaster and Palmdale, people have accused housing investigators of targeting nonwhite recipients of federal housing subsidies for harassment and eviction. The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, in turn, have cut off funds to provide additional investigators there.

The move was made in a closed-door session recently in a move to try to avoid civil rights challenges and an investigation by the U.S. Justice Department. The sheriff’s office is now barred from sending deputies on housing compliance checks without sound reason. The county also is aiming to preserve the confidentiality of people who participate in the Section 8 subsidy program to avoid future harassment.

Last summer, the NAACP filed suit against those cities, alleging that officials were using sheriff’s deputies and other county resources to drive black and Latino residents from government-subsidized housing. Federal prosecutors then announced they were investigating the use of sheriff’s deputies.

County taxpayers currently dish out $98,685 per year to Lancaster and $62,000 to Palmdale to fund extra inspectors for the Section 8 program. Officials in Antelope Valley claim they needed the money to provide extra resources to make sure landlords and tenants comply with program regulations.

County officials readily admit that they are making these moves in order to keep themselves out of any type of discrimination lawsuit. But perhaps they should have begun taking these steps earlier to try to be proactive in avoiding discrimination.

All people have the right to qualify for public housing and the decision of who is allowed to live in these low-income houses and apartments shouldn’t be based on bigotry. But if that’s how it happens, residents need to fight back. If people stand by and allow it to happen, it will continue. Without accountability, the situation lingers.

Westminster employment lawyers recognize that these are challenges people can face on a daily basis can be demoralizing. But meeting with an attorney is a good first step. If you have documented proof that you or a loved one has faced discrimination and your rights have been violated, you should consider all your options.
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CNNMoney is reporting that for the first time ever, all 100 firms on Fortune’s Best Companies To Work For list have discrimination policies in place that include a person’s sexual orientation.

This is a major milestone in protecting workers’ rights, especially in combating sexual orientation discrimination in Fullerton. Our Fullerton employment lawyers believe this is a big step forward, but more must be done.
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A list of 100 companies creating anti-discrimination policies is certainly a good thing, but there are hundreds of thousands of businesses in this country and it would be safe to say that a majority likely don’t have similar policies in place. Sexual orientation discrimination in Fullerton, Southern California and nationwide is still an issue.

After athletes last year called something that was negative “gay,” organizations ran advertising campaigns trying to get children and teens not to use gay as a negative connotation. It’s obvious that there is still work to be done in this area. Many adults, who grew up in an era where discrimination wasn’t uncommon, struggle today when dealing with gay or bisexual co-workers.

According to the news article, in 2008, 95 of the top 100 companies on the list that year had policies and within three years the number hit 99. It wasn’t until this year’s list that all 100 companies had such a policy in place.

The list’s creators say gay rights at work have gained strength in the last 15 years, culminating with the news that all the companies have such a policy in place. Of the 100 companies, 89 of the companies offer benefits for same-sex domestic partners, which is up from 70 in 2007.

Gay rights supporters say it isn’t shocking that the companies that are rated best to work for also are the places that have policies in place to protect their workers from discrimination.

About 86 percent of Fortune 500 companies also have non-discrimination policies in place that include sexual orientation, CNN reports. That’s up from 61 percent in 2002. About 60 percent of those firms also offer health benefits for same-sex domestic partners. That’s a jump of 34 percent from 10 years ago.

Gay, bi-sexual and transgendered people throughout Southern California still have an uphill battle at work and no person should be put in that position. Every worker should have equal rights and by 2012, you’d think that would have been accomplished.

But our Fullerton employment lawyers see daily cases of workers who face discrimination based on their gender, race, sexual orientation, disability, national origin and other factors that have no bearing on their ability to do a job well. Sadly, these biases cannot enter the workplace and if they do, they must be fought. Bosses cannot treat workers differently based on some type of in-grown discrimination unrelated to the employee’s work ethic.
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