Omel A. Nieves and Lisa M. Lawrence of the Hunt Ortmann Employment Law Group recently won summary judgment in Los Angeles Superior Court for the City of Pasadena on a lawsuit brought by a long-time employee for discrimination and retaliation based on race, gender and age. The former employee, who had recently returned from paid leave after the employer’s investigation of a sexual harassment claim against him, alleged that the investigation was biased and that the employer was motivated by discriminatory animus against older white males. The Court rejected these allegations, and held that the employer had acted for legitimate non-discriminatory reasons in its conduct of the investigation, its placement of the accused employee on paid leave, and its decision to provide the employee with executive coaching. The Court’s ruling resulted in a complete victory of the employer.
