MLG Nets $78k for Retaliated Employee

LOS ANGELES - April 2, 2014 - PRLog -- The Mesriani Law Group (MLG) yet again displayed its expertise in employment and labor laws by aggressively pursuing the interests of its clients after it recently secured a settlement of $78,000.00 for a male client-employee who was a victim of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation in the workplace.

According to case files, client-employee was hired by a healthcare training college in December 2011 as a director for one of its programs. He was responsible for managing the program’s instructors and the educational activities of the department, as well as providing applicable accreditation, commission standards of agencies, and regulations, among other duties. Upon his arrival at the college, he inherited a department staff that was almost exclusively African-American, including the instructors and the administrative assistant.

In January 2012, client-employee did an initial research of the program he was handling and he discovered various student and staff behavioral problems. He voiced out this concern with the national director, only to be told that he “inherited a piece of [expletive].” He was taken aback with the response and felt like leaving the position. However, the campus president convinced him to remain in his post and that the campus’ problems can be corrected. He was convinced to stay, but little did he know that he will meet constant resistance from his co-workers and superiors within the majority of his tenure, where he would experience being discriminated, harassed, and even retaliated against.

Client-employee faced constant aggression and hostility from one of the program instructors in the form of yelling, intimidating glares, and general disdain. He discussed the first initial incident with the academic dean, believing that the instructor’s behavior was partially motivated by racial considerations. Although the dean listened to his insight, the situation persisted for the rest of his tenure. He even met with the HR manager to file a formal complaint against the instructor’s harassing behavior, only to fall on deaf ears.

Despite this, he performed well in his position, continuously being praised by his superiors for repairing the problematic areas of the program since his arrival. It culminated with the college program’s re-accreditation for 10 years.

However, from June to July of 2012, client-employee continued to encounter problems within the program, particularly on the levels of academic dishonesty among both the student body and the instructors. He tried to hold more staff members accountable for their job duties, which led to more hostility from some of them. These all started when the campus president, who continuously praised him for his efforts as program director, was replaced by the former academic dean of the campus.

In August 2012, one of the students in the program was caught cheating by an instructor. In an attempt to deter future widespread academic dishonesty and to improve the integrity of the school, client-employee discussed the scandal in front of the students of one of the program’s classes. However, the new campus director charged client-employee of violating the student’s rights when he tried to discuss the cheating incident in front of the class.

In the succeeding months after the incident, the campus president continued to complain about client-employee making various policy errors at his job, but she never supplied him with a shred of evidence regarding his alleged violations of school policy or procedure. Her unjustified attacks towards client-employee made him more anxious.

Client-employee even encountered more pressing problems with the students in his program. On one occasion, a student with substantial drug-related issues was admitted to the program despite client-employee’s objections. Although he requested to have the student be supervised with consistent unannounced drug testing during his period with the program, his request was denied. The campus president even inappropriately documented him as saying that the student wasn’t using drugs anymore. The student went on to work in a clinical setting, which worried him because of patient safety. The result was the same with the other similar other incidents; any proposals he made were simply ignored by the campus president.

After the incidents, he addressed the campus president, the academic dean, and the national director regarding the various unresolved and ongoing staff and student issues at the college. However, it was clear that the president wasn’t fulfilling her duties as campus director, as evidenced with her one-word reply on his e-mail: “wow.”

Client-employee further experienced discrimination when a re-entry coordinator made an insensitive remark regarding his religion. Later on, it was found that the coordinator attempted to retaliate against him for filing a complaint about the incident by talking with various instructors about contacting human resources to complain about him. Moreover, the instructor who was continually harassing him sent an email to the corporate officers accusing him of being “very inappropriate with staff and students.”

Ultimately, client-employee’s tenure as program director ended abruptly on July 2, 2013 after he tried to bring to his superiors’ attention yet another cheating incident that happened in one of the instructor’s classes. To make his termination even worse, he was escorted out of the building by the academic dean and a security guard. The campus director even inappropriately documented on an internal discharge form that he left for “other employment” due to “job dissatisfaction” without further explanation.

Based on the foregoing, it was very evident that client-employee, despite rectifying the issues he faced within the department and being commended for his exemplary work as program director, was a victim of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation. He was wrongfully terminated in retaliation for questioning the practices of the corrupt school officials, the unfair policies implemented within the institution, and the unfair and discriminatory treatment against him.

Fortunately, he sought the assistance of the top-caliber Los Angeles employment lawyers of the Mesriani Law Group, who quickly evaluated his case and readily took action on the matter. Thanks to the attorneys’ diligence in representing the client-employee and pursuing his interests, they were able to successfully secure a $78,000.00 settlement on his behalf, which covered for his future lost earnings, emotional distress, and other incurred damages.

This recent victory is yet another testament to the expertise of the Mesriani Law Group when it comes to handling and successfully winning employment and labor claims of employees in California. There is really no doubt that the law firm ranks as one of the most respected law firms in the state.


http://www.mesrianilaw.com/