Watkins v. Ameripride Services, 375 F.3d 821 (9th Cir. 2004)

John Watkins worked as a customer service representative (CSR) for Ameripride Services, a company that supplies businesses with uniform rental, sales and laundry services and building maintenance products. Watkins injured his wrist while lifting a rack of uniforms as part of his CSR duties and became disabled. He subsequently sued Ameripride for violation of…

Agosta v. Astor, 120 Cal. App. 4th 596 (2004)

Len Agosta, who was employed by Clear Channel Communications, had a series of meetings with N. Arthur Astor before accepting a position as general sales manager of KFSD, Astor’s San Diego radio station. Agosta insisted on receiving something from Astor in writing before giving Clear Channel notice of his intent to resign. After further negotiations…

Grinzi v. San Diego Hospice Corp., 120 Cal. App. 4th 72 (2004)

Joan Grinzi worked as a case manager for San Diego Hospice Corporation for 13 years before her employment was terminated allegedly because of her membership in Women’s Garden Circle, an investment group that the Hospice believed to be an illegal pyramid scheme. (The Hospice told Grinzi that she was being terminated for…

Le Francois v. Goel, 119 Cal. App. 4th 425 (2004)

Philip Le Francois and Eric Herald sued their former employer, Duet Technologies, Inc., and three Duet officers for wrongfully withheld sales commissions and allegedly injurious misrepresentations and false promises associated with commissions they claimed were owed to them on a deal between Duet and Motorola. Although defendants had filed an earlier, unsuccessful motion for…

Jordan v. Northrop Grumman Corp., 370 F.3d 869 (9th Cir. 2004)

Vicki Jordan worked as a senior administrative secretary for Northrop from 1984 to 1995 at which time she applied for long-term disability benefits following her diagnosis with fibromyalgia — a syndrome whose cause is unknown and symptoms are entirely subjective. Northrop’s plan administrator denied Jordan’s disability claim after determining that her “condition is…

Pennsylvania State Police v. Suders, 542 U.S. 129, 124 S. Ct. 2342 (2004)

Nancy Drew Suders alleged sexual harassment by her supervisors, officers of the Pennsylvania State Police (PSP), of such severity that she was forced to resign. The question before the U.S. Supreme Court in this case was whether the PSP could avail itself of the Ellerth/Faragher affirmative defense first enunciated by the…

RUI One Corp. v. City of Berkeley, 371 F.3d 1137 (9th Cir. 2004)

In 2000, the City of Berkeley enacted its living wage ordinance, which mandated minimum hourly wages and employee benefits be provided by private employers located within the Berkeley Marina or that received some form of financial benefit from the City (e.g., City contract awardees, lessees of City property, City financial aid…

Janik v. Rudy, Exelrod & Zieff, 119 Cal. App. 4th 930 (2004)

Plaintiffs’ attorneys, who produced a class action recovery of more than $90 million for their clients, were sued by those same clients for malpractice because the attorneys had failed to allege a claim for Unfair Competition (Business & Professions Code § 17200) along with the single claim they did assert for unpaid…