Litigating Employment Discrimination Cases 15th Annual Edition Published
Fifteen Annual Edition Of Andrew H. Friedman’s Litigating Employment Discrimination Cases Published
February 1, 2021 – Helmer Friedman LLP is very pleased to announce that James Publishing Co. has just published the 15th annual edition of Andrew H. Friedman’s two-volume Litigating Employment Discrimination Cases practice guide. This new edition features a new Preface written by Mr. Friedman which reflects upon the developments in employment law since the book was first published in 2005 including reflections of the Me Too and Black Lives Matter movements. This new edition also includes a new Foreword written by Waverly D. Crenshaw, Jr., Chief United States District Judge, Middle District of Tennessee. And, this new edition contains a heartfelt memorial written by Mr. Friedman about Judge John T. Nixon (for whom both Mr. Friedman and Chief Judge Crenshaw clerked). The new Preface, Foreword, and Memorial can be viewed here. The new edition also contains an Author’s Note – An Introduction To Federal Laws Prohibiting Employment Discrimination which can be accessed here. Finally, Litigating Employment Discrimination Cases can be purchased at https://jamespublishing.com/product/litigating-employment-discrimination-cases/.
Wells Fargo Bank Sued for Gender Discrimination, Retaliation, Refusal to Pay Commissions
Home Mortgage Consultant Sues Wells Fargo for Gender Discrimination, Retaliation and Refusal to Pay Commissions
LOS ANGELES, August 12, 2020 – A former Home Mortgage Consultant has filed a lawsuit alleging sex/gender discrimination, Equal Pay Act violations, and unlawful retaliation against Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. and related entities and has asserted that the company has refused to pay her the commission wages she has earned. (Los Angeles County Superior Court Case No. 20STCV30296). The filing was announced today by the Los Angeles law firm of Helmer Friedman LLP.
Plaintiff Raena Krestovnikov alleges that she was not being provided the same level of benefits and compensation that was being given to her male colleagues. She further alleges that she was fired in retaliation for complaining about the disparity and discrimination to her supervisors, including Senior Vice President of Sales Marty Widergren, and for notifying them that she was going to retain counsel.
It is illegal to discriminate against an employee based on her gender, and it’s certainly illegal to fire an employee for raising those concerns to her employer
The lawsuit further alleges that, in retaliation for Ms. Krestovnikov’s complaints of sexist discrimination, Wells Fargo reacted swiftly and punitively. According to the suit, Mr. Widergren, angered by her complaints, harbored a retaliatory animus and refused to meet with her to discuss work matters. Within a few months of her most recent complaints, she was fired.
After she was fired, the suit alleges, Wells Fargo refused to pay Ms. Krestovnikov commissions she had earned and, instead, assigned those accounts to male employees, who unfairly profited from Ms. Krestovnikov’s work.
“It is illegal to discriminate against an employee based on her gender, and it’s certainly illegal to fire an employee for raising those concerns to her employer,” said Gregory Helmer of Helmer Friedman LLP. Helmer added, “Retaining counsel is a fundamental right in California and the United States, and the law in California prohibits employers from retaliating against an employee for asserting that important right.”
DOCUMENTS:
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Complaint for Damages – Krestovnikov v. Wells Fargo Bank
MEDIA COVERAGE:
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National Mortgage News – Wells Fargo faces gender discrimination lawsuit from former employee
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S&P Global Market – Former employee files suit against Wells Fargo Bank for gender discrimination.
Samson Spiegelman Joins Helmer Friedman LLP
Helmer Friedman LLP is very pleased to announce that Samson Spiegelman has joined the law firm, effective August 27, 2020. Samson joins the firm fresh off of a stint at one of the Nation’s premier management-side labor and employment law firms — Paul Hastings LLP.
Samson is a graduate of UCLA School of Law’s Critical Race Studies program, and holds a Bachelor’s degree from Tulane University in both Political Science and Gender and Sexuality Studies. As a law student, Samson was Chief Articles Editor for the Dukeminier Journal of Sexual Orientation & Gender Identity Law. Samson also served as a law clerk for the Transgender Law Center and the ACLU of Southern California, and worked at UCLA’s HIV Law and Policy Project clinic providing direct services.
Samson is admitted to practice in California state and federal courts and is an active member of the Los Angeles County Bar Association and the California Lawyers Association Labor and Employment Section. Samson volunteers with the National Lawyers Guild and serves on the LACBA President’s Advisory Committee on Women in the Legal Profession.
Super Lawyers Names Andrew H. Friedman To Its Top 100 Southern California Lawyers List
February 1, 2020 – Helmer Friedman LLP is very please to announce that Super Lawyers has named Andrew H. Friedman to its list of the Top 100 Super Lawyers in Southern California. Super Lawyers recognizes these top lawyers via a patented multiphase selection process involving peer nomination, independent research and peer evaluation. The full list of Top 100 Southern California Super Lawyers can be found here – https://www.superlawyers.com/california-southern/toplists/top-100-2020-southern-california-super-lawyers/39fd3e6495f36f48bfce2fdff05d27cf
U.S. News – Ranked Best Law Firm
Helmer Friedman LLP Ranked By U.S. News – Best Lawyers® As A “Best Law Firm”
December 1, 2019 – Helmer Friedman LLP is very pleased to announce that the law firm has been selected by U.S. News – Best Lawyers® as a Best Law Firm in the category of Employment Law – Individuals.
Helmer Friedman LLP Files Lawsuit On Behalf of Cancer Survivor Suing Pharmaco, Inc. and Premier Infusion Care for Disability Harassment, Discrimination, and Wrongful Termination GalleryHelmer Friedman LLP Files Lawsuit On Behalf of Cancer Survivor Suing Pharmaco, Inc. and Premier Infusion Care for Disability Harassment, Discrimination, and Wrongful Termination
Helmer Friedman LLP Files Lawsuit On Behalf of Cancer Survivor Suing Pharmaco, Inc. and Premier Infusion Care for Disability Harassment, Discrimination, and Wrongful Termination
November 21, 2019 – Today, Helmer Friedman LLP filed a lawsuit on behalf of a former Pharmacist for Torrance, California-based Pharmaco, Inc. and Premier Infusion Care alleging that the Company engaged in disability harassment and discrimination. A copy of the lawsuit — Los Angeles Superior Court Case No. 19STCV41854 – can be view here.
Among other things, plaintiff Dr. John L. Bowie alleges that, following a humiliating and degrading campaign of retaliation and harassment, he was fired for being a disabled stage IV cancer survivor. Dr. Bowie, a Pharmacist with over twenty years of practice treating and saving patients’ lives, alleges that the company and some of its employees relentlessly bullied and harassed him after learning that he was a survivor of colon cancer with digestive disabilities. In order to embarrass Dr. Bowie for his medical condition, some of his coworkers allegedly told him he had a “foul odor” and that he “stank,” placed advertisements for adult diapers on his desk, filled his office with the overpowering scent of air freshener, and giggled and smirked at his distress. The lawsuit further alleges that after Dr. Bowie was repeatedly and rudely confronted by Human Resources representatives with the false accusation that his digestive disability and colon cancer made him smell, the Company escalated their harassment to a truly shocking level, demanding that he begin to wear an adult diaper to work. According to the lawsuit, when Dr. Bowie, feeling bullied and in fear for his job, complied with this ridiculous and degrading request, a representative for Human Resources then forced him to show her his diaper by pulling down his pants for her and lifting it out of his waistband. Dr. Bowie alleges that he was emotionally devastated by his treatment at the hands of his coworkers.
Dr. Bowie’s Complaint For Damages alleges that he repeatedly asked the company to provide him a reasonable accommodation for his disability and to address the severe harassment he was experiencing. Instead, the lawsuit alleges, rather than taking remedial action or accommodating him, the company abruptly fired him just days after his most recent request for accommodation and help.
The lawsuit also alleges that Pharmaco, Inc. and Premier Infusion Care fired Dr. Bowie because he made complaints to the company that it was not complying with various guidelines to ensure the safety and efficacy of the prescription drugs that it was compounding and that the company was sending out prescriptions for large
amounts of IV diphenhydramine.
Commenting about the lawsuit, Andrew H. Friedman, founding partner of Helmer Friedman LLP, stated: “California employers need to be aware that the law of this state requires them to take reasonable steps to accommodate employees with disabilities and medical conditions so that they have the same access to employment as anyone else.”
Helmer Friedman LLP is seeking witnesses who may be aware of the manner in which Pharmaco, Inc. and Premier Infusion Care treated Dr. Bowie and/or other employees with disabilities.
Documents:
Press Release – Cancer Survivor Suing Pharmaco, Inc. and Premier Infusion Care for Disability Harassment, Discrimination, and Wrongful Termination.
Media Coverage:
The Advocate Magazine Publishes Two Articles Authored By Andrew H. Friedman
May 2019 – The May 2019 Advocate Magazine, a journal of the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles, contains two articles written by Andrew H. Friedman – The best and worst employment developments of 2018 – Part I & The best and worst employment developments of 2018 – Part II.
Part I provides an overview of the legislative developments that shaped the prior year in employment law while Part II summarizes the most important cases of the last year.
Andrew H. Friedman, Taylor Markey Published – California Labor & Employment Law Review
California Labor & Employment Law Review Publish Article By Andrew H. Friedman and Taylor Markey
May 7, 2019 – The California Labor & Employment Law Review – an official publication of the California Lawyers Association Labor and Employment Law Section – published an article authored by Andrew H. Friedman and Taylor Markey. Entitled “A Refresher on and Thoughts About Unconditional Offers of Reinstatement,” the Friedman/Markey article examines a legal stratagem (the so-called “unconditional offer of reinstatement” doctrine) used by employers who have violated the law to minimize the damages that they have to pay illegally treated employees and explains why the California Supreme Court should reject the doctrine and find that it is at odds with California’s strong public policy of eradicating employment discrimination. Click here to read the article.