Employer Fakes Gruesome Active Shooter Drill Without Telling Anyone, Resulting in Mayhem
John Channels was hired by a real life employer to ambush its Nebraska office building simulating a mass shooting with an assault rifle holding blank cartridges and actors covered in fake blood. However, only two in the building knew of the active shooter drill, which led to a traumatizing show, and ended with Channel’s arrest for terroristic threats.
Catholic Charities, who were new to the building, had ordered an ambush on their building simulating a mass shooting on May 19. This “drill” began with Channels, wearing a dark hoodie and mask, firing blanks into the air and banging on the windows of a conference room from outside of the building. This caused genuinely terrified workers to flee the conference room and stumble on hired actors bleeding fake blood in the hallway.
Employees rushed to the building’s exits and many called 911. The police was not alerted ahead of time about the drill so they responded as if it were a legitimate active shooter incident. Channels was later arrested on five charges of terroristic threats, a separate gun count and was placed on bail at $300,000.
Prosecutors note that Channels was lucky no one was seriously injured. It was also uncovered that Channels had gone around asking ‘’hysterical” employees if they wanted to purchase a gun from him and lessons.
Channels’ attorney pointed out that the hysteria brought on by Channels was ultimately what Catholic Charities had ordered, “be real life-like.” Also, Channels had explained the exercise to the supervisors ahead of time in detail including requesting employees be kept in the dark and they okayed it.
Catholic Charities has denied asking for the drill to be so elaborate and claimed Channels had misrepresented himself and did not follow agreed upon procedures including alerting law enforcement of the drill. Channels, however, apparently did attempt to alert the Omaha police through written notice.
Channels’ attorney plans to depose Catholic Charities’ supervisors to prove Channels wasn’t the mastermind in order to eliminate the terroristic threats charges. Channels was taken into custody before obtaining written proof that Catholic Charities ordered the drill. In the end, Channels not only faces charges for the drill incident but also for allegedly sexually assaulting a girl and for production of child pornography, which he was arrested for in May.
Catholic Charities will also likely face legal liability for the horrendous effect this had to most of its employees.
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National Origin & Race Discrimination – Case Example
Mari and Claudia are Hispanic and both suffered harassment and discrimination based on their national origin by their employer.
Mari and Claudia were subjected to national-origin based harassment including being told: “Speak English only, I don’t understand Spanish,” and “You are in America, you have to speak English only.” They reported the illegal “English Only” policy but no corrective action was taken.
Mari and Claudia went on to file a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) for harassment and discrimination based on national origin. Right after filing the EEOC complaints, Mari and Claudia’s employment was terminated in retaliation.
California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act prohibits an employer, including any supervisor, from harassing an employee based on national origin. We helped Mari and Claudia get justice for the racial harassment and retaliation they endured.
If you have been harassed, discriminated, or retaliated against based on a protected category such as race or national origin, give us a call at 310-400-5891 for your free intake.
Pregnancy Medical Leave – Case Example
Vero is a young woman who experienced shocking pregnancy and disability discrimination at work. When she went on a temporary disability leave due to pregnancy complications, she was written up for falling behind on her work while on leave!
To add insult to injury, Vero’s employer ordered her to work overtime to make up for the disability time she missed, when her medical condition would not allow her to. The overtime forced on her made her medical condition worse!
Vero then complained in writing that her being written up for missing time off of work was retaliation and complained to the DFEH. One month later she was fired while she still had 9 days left on her disability leave note and 40 days before she was supposed to give birth.
We obtained justice for Vero for her employer’s despicable and outrageous wrongful termination.
If you believe you have been wrongfully terminated, retaliated, or discriminated against based on a protected category such as pregnancy, disability or medical condition, give us a call at 310-400-5891 for your free consultation.
U.K. Court Rules Term “Bald” is Form of Sexual Harassment
A panel of three judges in the U.K. have ruled that insulting a man for being bald in the workplace can be a form of sexual harassment.
The tribunal, who are all balding themselves, argued that because hair loss is far more prevalent in the male sex than female, the term is then inherently related to sex/gender. So a comment on a man’s hair loss is equivalent to commenting on a woman’s breasts.
This ruling came about in a case of an electrician, Tony Finn, who sued a West Yorkshire-based small business over the use of the term “bald” after one of his supervisors allegedly called him a “fat bald c—” and was later fired.
The judges were then left to deliberate on whether the “bald” comment was simply insulting or if it meets the criteria to be considered harassment. They connected “bald” to the protected characteristic of sex and found it inherently related to sex. And argued that while both men and women bald, baldness is more prevalent in men than women. With this they stated that men like Finn would be most likely to be receiving such a comment.
The finding also added that the remark was degrading and humiliating. Though strong language is common on West Yorkshire factory floors, it was judged that the remark crossed a line by making a personal attack on Finn’s appearance. Therefore, the comment was made with the purpose of violating Finn’s dignity and creating a hostile work environment.
The tribunal upheld the sexual harassment claim and ruled the company unfairly terminated him after 24 years of employment.
Remember, this was one court in England. Under California and U.S. law, gender based or sexual harassment has to be either “severe or pervasive”. So, under American law, a one-time comment of “bald” is extremely unlikely to be “severe” enough to be actionable sexual harassment.
What do you think of the U.K. Court’s reasoning?
Learn More About CA Sexual Harassment Law / How to Report Sexual Harassment at Work?
Sexual Harassment / Sexual Orientation Harassment – Case Example
Throughout his employment, Vinny (male) had to endure a hostile work environment of constant, severe and unwelcome sexual harassment and touching.
A co-worker exposed himself to Vinny multiple times and would call him a faggot. Vinny made a formal written complaint to HR about this and of sexual harassment towards a female employee. Soon thereafter his employer retaliated against him for his written complaints. He received two write-ups and was terminated the very next month.
Same-sex sexual harassment is illegal. So is sexual orientation harassment, even if the person’s involved are heterosexual and only perceived to be LGBTQ+. Moreover, it does not matter if the motivation of the harasser is sexual desire—it is illegal under California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act.
The sexual misconduct and the company’s retaliation and wrongful termination had a devastating effect on Vinny and his family. We helped Vinny get justice.
If you have suffered sexual orientation harassment or discrimination in your workplace or have been retaliated against, our firm may be able to get you justice too. Give us a call at 310-400-5891 for your free consultation.
Learn More About Sexual Harassment Law / How to Report Sexual Harassment at Work?
Man Awarded $450K After Workplace Birthday Party Panic Attack Leads to Termination
Kevin Berling was awarded $300,000 for emotional distress and $150,000 in lost wages for a disability discrimination case in late March after a two day trial in Kenton County, Kentucky.
Berling sued his employer, Gravity Diagnostics after the company threw him a birthday party against his request that the company not celebrate his birthday because it would cause him immense stress.
Berling suffers from anxiety disorders and panic attacks. He worked at Gravity Diagnostics for approximately 10 months, when he requested that the company not celebrate his birthday as it normally does for its employees. Berling told his supervisor that a birthday celebration would be a stressful trigger of bad childhood memories surrounding his parents’ divorce. The lawsuit outlines that the office manager ends up forgetting his request and the party is still held for Berling. As a result, Berling suffers a panic attack and leaves.
The next day, Berling is called into a meeting with his bosses where he suffers another panic attack when his supervisor chastised him for “stealing his co-workers” joy and for “being a little girl.” The company then fires Berling saying that they were worried about him being angry and violent.
As part of the lawsuit, Berling claimed the company discriminated against him based on his disability, and retaliated against him for requesting a reasonable accommodation for his disability. The jury returned the verdict after two days in trial and awarded Berling a $450,000 win.
The company continues to deny liability and is pursuing port-trial options. The company’s founder and COO, Julie Brazil, stated that the verdict sets a dangerous precedent in which workplace violence will be tolerated unless physical violence occurs, and stated that her employees were the victims, not Berling. The jury didn’t seem to agree with Brazil once they got to meet Berling at trial and saw that the company’s claim that he posed a threat was more of an exaggeration.
Employers must accommodate their employee’s disabilities and cannot terminate someone based on a protected category such as a disability or medical condition. Further, the law prohibits harassment of an employee based on medical condition or disability.
If you believe you have been wrongfully terminated, retaliated or discriminated against based on a protected category such as a physical or mental disability, or medical condition, give us a call at 310-400-5891 for your free intake.
Learn more about Disability Harassment / Disability Discrimination Law
Former Black Employees Sue Google For Racial Discrimination
A lawsuit filed against Google claims it has a pattern and practice of racial discrimination toward minority employees. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of April Curley and other former and current black employees at Google.
Plaintiff to the suit, April Curley, was a Google diversity recruiter for six years. She is claiming wrongful termination because Google fired her after she told managers she was creating a report on discriminatory practices. Curley and other women were retaliated against after trying to report the racist culture they experienced in Google.
When first hired by Google, Curley was placed in an entry-level position, drastically below her qualifications of a master’s degree and five years of experience. She was also consistently passed up for promotions. Curley was restrained to this entry-level classification for six years! Google had blocked her promotion with the excuse of there being no budget for it and instead decided to wrongfully terminate Curley.
Part of the allegations included that Google steered new Black employees toward lower-level roles that kept them at less pay and kept them from opportunities for advancement. Plaintiff claims that when black employees opposed these discriminatory practices, they were faced with a hostile work environment and retaliation.
According to Google’s 2021 annual diversity report, the company recognizes a need to change structural inequities, yet they have not done so. The suing, former employees, including April Curley, were exceptional employees at Google but were discriminatorily treated and pushed out. While Google aimed at increasing diversity, they were actually undervaluing and underpaying their black employees—leading to their higher turnover. The proposed class action seeks that employees get their positions back and be awarded the full compensation and benefits owed, and future losses.
National Origin & Race Discrimination – Case Example
Lisa is a young woman of Chinese descent. Lisa was subjected to harassment and discrimination at work based on her national origin and race.
Lisa’s boss would make racist comments such as “fucking Chinese people”, constantly saying that there are too many Chinese employees and saying that they needed to stop hiring Chinese people. Lisa’s employer additionally instructed Lisa not to hire certain types of people, such as “blacks.” Lisa protested and complained about the racist comments to her employer.
Instead of trying to cure the discrimination and harassment as required by law, Lisa’s employer retaliated against her and terminated her employment because she protested her boss’ discrimination and harassment.
California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act prohibits an employer, including any supervisor, from harassing or discriminating an employee based on national origin or race. We helped Lisa get justice for the racial harassment and retaliation she endured. We were able to get her a favorable settlement.
If you have been harassed, discriminated, or retaliated against based on a protected category such as race or national origin, give us a call at 310-400-5891 for your free intake.
Shirazi Law Firm Announced as a Top Los Angeles Employment Law Firm by UpCity!
Shirazi Law Firm is thrilled to officially announce that we have been recognized as one of the top employment and labor law firms in Los Angeles and nationally by UpCity!
From wrongful termination to discrimination to harassment, we handle all types of employment law cases. We have helped past clients achieve significant results against some of the world’s biggest companies, ensuring that California’s workers are never taken advantage of. This is only one reason our Los Angeles-based firm has been recognized by UpCity as not only one of the best employment and labor law firms in Southern California but also nationally in the United States.
UpCity is a resource that helps connect businesses to service providers they can trust. With more than 70,000 listed providers—from marketing agencies to accounting firms to HR consultants to IT specialists, and many more—2 million businesses (and counting) have visited UpCity to research and identify the best partner for their needs.
Dan Olson, CEO of UpCity, had this to say about the Shirazi Law Firm team:
“When it comes to labor and employment cases, you need the right attorney behind you. The Shirazi Law Firm has proven time and time again that they’re one of the best employment law firms in California and the country as a whole.” – Dan Olson, CEO, UpCity
This recognition has been driven in large part by our perfect 5-star UpCity review rating Here are a few of our favorite pieces of feedback we’ve received from our amazing customers:
· “I could not have hired a better pregnancy discrimination lawyer than Emanuel Shirazi and team. Mr. Shirazi’s skill, passion, heart, patience and tenacity led to me getting an amazing 7 figure result. If you are looking for an employment lawyer in Los Angeles or anywhere in Socal, he is your guy hands down 100%” – Julie Vas
· “Emmanuel did an amazing job on my case! He was very involved and communicated throughout the entire process. He made sure I was comfortable with the decisions and negotiated the best results! I have already recommended two of my friends to him. You are making the right choice choosing Shirazi Law Firm!”
We’d like to thank UpCity for recognizing us with this tremendous honor. It’s truly incredible to be amongst such incredible firms in the UpCity community.
Learn More About Shirazi Law Firm’s Owner and Attorney Emanuel Shirazi
Whistleblowing – Case Example
Patty was a wonderful professional who performed her job exceptionally. Patty had complained to her Employer about fraud that was being committed by her boss in violation of the USA Patriot Act. Instead of taking action to address the fraud, the company let the fraud continue unabated. Moreover, management retaliated against Patty by bullying and intimidating her and telling her to look the other way on financial crimes.
When Patty had to take a medical leave of absence due to a serious medical condition affecting her day-to-day life, management retaliated by not accommodating and instead terminating her employment before she was fully released to work by her doctor.
Patty’s employer discriminated against her by terminating her employment because of her disability and in retaliation for exercising her rights under the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (“FEHA”) and California Labor Code.
If you suspect that you have been retaliated against or wrongfully terminated for making complaints of illegal activity, or because of your disability or medical condition, give us a call at 310-400-5891 for your free intake.
Learn more about Whistleblowing Law / Disability & Medical Leave Law in California
Get In Touch:
Shirazi Law Firm, PC
Shirazi Law Firm, PC
1875 Century Park East,
Suite 1025,
Los Angeles, CA 90067
Phone: 310 400 5891
Fax: 888 908 7359