Los Angeles, California Employment Law Blog

"If there is an ongoing controversy in science, you don't put out regulations that cost billions of dollars."

That is the opinion of UCLA associate research professor Dr. James Enstrom, as quoted in Land Line Magazine this month. It seems like sound reasoning, but that opinion could get Enstrom fired.

An employee at UCLA for more than 35 years, Enstrom has voiced concerns regarding the California Air Resources Board's (CARB) data regarding diesel exhaust. Under CARB's diesel exhaust rule, truckers and bus fleets are required to install "diesel particulate matter filters" and upgrade truck engines by January 2012.

In total, this could cost truck drivers and transportation companies upward of $10 billion. However, those who fail to comply face thousands of dollars in fines.

There's another wrongful termination lawsuit in the air at "Desperate Housewives," though this one has less to do with the show itself and everything to do with one of its biggest stars.

Recently, former public relations professional Jennifer Glassman filed a wrongful termination lawsuit against Housewives star Teri Hatcher. In the suit, she claims that Hatcher asked her to take a vice presidential role in Hatcher's production company, ISBE Productions, and promised her 50 percent of the profits from projects that she would work on.

Glassman took the opportunity and, according to her complaint, dedicated herself to getting the job done. However, all that hard work netted her next to nothing when Hatcher and ABC pushed her out of the profit line. Glassman claims that she was dismissed just before a successful launch of gethatched.com, which is run through Disney's family.com site.

On Wednesday, Disneyland employee Imane Boudlal filed a discrimination complaint against the mighty mouse, citing the organization's repeated unwillingness to let her wear a traditional "hijab" while working. The hijab has been a controversial subject across the world for years, with many viewing it as an oppressive practice forced on Muslim women.

However, many like Boudlal choose to wear the hijab. The question in this case is whether or not she should be allowed to wear it while working in a customer-facing role. Managers at the Chip'n'Dale-themed restaurant where Boudlal works offered her a "backroom" position several times, Boudlal refused to be hidden in the back.

Part of Disney's defense has been the heavily-themed nature of their park, its attractions and restaurants. At Disney, public-facing image is everything.

The final award was a little lower than she had hoped, but Julie Crouch has to be happy with last week's ruling in her case against Playboy TV and a former colleague. After just over a day of deliberation, a Los Angeles Superior Court jury awarded Crouch nearly $200,000 for verbal and sexual harassment at the hands of Charles Dorn while the two were master control operators at Playboy TV.

Of that money, $182,500 came from Playboy Entertainment Group Inc., which jurors felt could have done more to stop the harassment.

In her lawsuit, Crouch alleged severe emotional distress while on the job, as well ongoing post-traumatic stress disorder after leaving. She also claimed disability harassment following a period in which she was on medical leave for back surgery and complications with her breast implants.

Last Thursday, the California Supreme Court ruled that alleged "stray comments" in the case of a sacked Google employee can be used as evidence of age discrimination. The decision was part of a ruling that allowed Brian Reid's case against the Internet Goliath to continue.

In filing his age discrimination lawsuit earlier this year, Reid accused co-workers and superiors of referring to him as "an old fuddy-duddy," in addition to other age-based names. Last week, the court determined that such remarks could be used to form the basis of an age-discrimination case even if they were not a factor in letting the employee go.

Understandably, such a ruling could have implications for other workers beyond the Reid case. However, California Supreme Court Justices only ruled that the remarks were admissible in court, not that they were substantive or would be considered sufficient once presented in court.

They may be admissible, but they may also be ruled inadmissible as evidence.

The flagging economy has been bad for business, but worse for a lot of the workers whose checks are paid by those struggling companies. Jobs have been cut, forcing production expectations to rise. As The New York Times wrote last week, many employers have also cut wages and hours for those employees who have stayed on.

Most of these pay cuts, reportedly, were levied in lieu of additional job cuts. According to the Times, hourly pay remains higher than ever, but wages continue to sink. To a certain extent, this is to be expected, and many workers have graciously accepted pay cuts that allow more to stay employed.

Still, it seems possible that a company might take advantage of the current economic climate by cutting wages or hours, inappropriately passing both off as necessary adjustments.  

Bell, California was in the news again last week after a former police sergeant filed a retaliation lawsuit against the city and officials, who he claimed forced him to retire early. Bell made headlines earlier this month after it was discovered that six of its top officials received six-figure paychecks. Three of those officials resigned following public outcry.

In the lawsuit filed last week, James Corcoran claims that he was told by city manager Robert Rizzo and police chief Mike Chavez to halt an investigation into charges filed against former city building inspector Eric Eggena.

In 2009, Eggena was accused of using the office he was appointed to for his own financial gain. Corcoran claims that his investigation would have led to official charges of graft. Meanwhile, Eggena has since become the police administrator for Bell.

In 2009, Amanda White worked as a producer on the much-hyped project "I'm Still Here: The Lost Year of Joaquin Phoenix." The supposed documentary stars Phoenix and is helmed by long-time friend and brother-in-law Casey Affleck. She left the crew in 2009 amid some difficulties, but reappeared in late last month when she filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against Affleck,

She is asking for $2 million dollars to cover the alleged sexual harassment, retaliation, failure to prevent harassment and retaliation, constructive discharge in violation of public policy, breach of oral contract, unjust enrichment and negligent and intentional infliction of emotional distress.