public policy

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Escalante v. Wilson’s Art Studio, Inc., 109 Cal. App. 4th 692 (2003)

Wilson’s Art Studio terminated Hector Escalante’s employment as a printer after he was physically attacked by another employee, but failed to leave the scene, deciding instead to go back to fight. In his wrongful termination lawsuit, Escalante, an at-will employee, alleged that Wilson’s had violated public policy by terminating him for exercising…

Freund v. Nycomed Amersham, 326 F.3d 1070 (9th Cir. 2003)

Jeffrey R. Freund worked as a pharmacist in Nycomed’s nuclear pharmacy in San Diego. After a few years of employment, Freund’s relationship with his supervisor, Mike Wakefield, “soured.” Freund lodged complaints about staffing, expressing his concern that overwork of staff members increased the probability that they would make a mistake that would endanger their…

Jersey v. John Muir Med. Ctr., 97 Cal. App. 4th 814 (2002)

Ester Jersey was employed as a nursing assistant and technician at a hospital when she was injured by a patient in the rehabilitation unit who was suffering from head trauma. Less than one year later, Jersey filed a personal injury action against the hospital’s former patient. When Jersey’s superiors at the hospital…

Colarossi v. Coty US Inc., 97 Cal. App. 4th 1142 (2002)

In this case of alleged wrongful termination in violation of public policy, Kimberly Colarossi alleged that her employment was terminated after she participated as a witness in an investigation of sexual harassment by a manager at the company (Deborah Bassett). The trial court excluded as hearsay evidence that a co-employee had told another…

Ortiz v. Los Angeles Police Relief Ass’n, 98 Cal. App. 4th 1288 (2002)

Cipriana Ortiz was employed as an administrator for LAPRA (a private, nonprofit association that processes employee benefits claims of current and former LAPD officers). Ortiz had access to officers’ names, residential addresses, telephone numbers, medical histories, family information, etc. During the course of her employment, Ortiz became romantically involved with and…