Shareholder Michele Goldsmith‘s impressive trial victory for the County of Los Angeles’ Department of Health Services was recently highlighted in the Daily Journal’s Verdicts & Settlements.
In the case of Rafael Gulkarov v. County of Los Angeles (Department of Health Services), Michele defended the County against the plaintiff’s claims of alleged disability discrimination, failure to accommodate, failure to engage in interactive process, and retaliation, all in violation of FEHA. At trial, the plaintiff asked for just under $3M in emotional distress damages.
Michele was able to refute these claims by proving that the plaintiff could not perform the position’s essential job duties even with reasonable accommodation and that he never requested reasonable accommodation in the first place. After a three-week trial, the jury returned a verdict in favor of the County. Michele’s successful defense helped the County avoid exposure of millions of dollars in both damages and attorneys’ fees.
Read about the verdict on the Daily Journal’s website here (subscription required).