Wentworth v. Regents of the Univ. of Cal., 105 Cal. App. 5th 580 (2024)

Blake Wentworth, formerly a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, sued the University for failure to engage in the interactive process and failure to reasonably accommodate an alleged disability in violation of the Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), as well as for violating the California Constitution and the Information Practices Act (the “IPA”) (Cal. Civ. Code § 1798, et seq.) by disclosing private information involving Wentworth’s medical history and the investigation of multiple student complaints that had been lodged against him. The Court of Appeal affirmed summary adjudication of the disability-related claims based on evidence that the University properly engaged in the interactive process and offered Wentworth a reasonable accommodation. As for the invasion of privacy claims, the Court held that there are triable issues of fact as to whether the University invaded Wentworth’s privacy by disclosing he had been offered a paid medical leave of absence and that 10 student complaints had been made against him and investigated by the University. The appellate court rejected Wentworth’s challenge to orders denying his motion to compel responses to discovery requests and his motion for a retrial but reversed the trial court’s order denying his motion for attorney’s fees and remanded the case for further proceedings.