06:05 ETFranklin Law PC: San Diego Jury Awards $2.335 Million Verdict in Employment-Related Dispute

, /PRNewswire/ -- A San Diego jury handed down a verdict of $2,335,000 finding Sullivan Properties, Inc. d/b/a Fairgrove Property Management discriminated against an employee because of his lower back injury, retaliated against him after he sought accommodation, and failed to accommodate him. Zak Franklin of Franklin Law PC filed a lawsuit on behalf of Edgar Figueroa, an exemplary employee of Fairgrove, alleging wrongful termination, disability discrimination, and other employment-related violations. According to the testimony and documents, Edgar severely injured his back while moving a desk that the head of Fairgrove's HR department instructed him to move. Edgar suffered a serious lower back injury, which qualified as a disability under FEHA. While Edgar was on his way to the emergency room, the same head of HR went about searching for documentation to justify terminating him for performance reasons. When she couldn't find any, she conspired with the company's leadership to create false documentation and claim that they planned to eliminate Edgar's position before he got injured. After his injury, Edgar notified his employer and provided a doctor's note restricting him from lifting more than 15 pounds and requesting permission to work remotely until he could walk again. According to the complaint, the company's human resources representative expressed skepticism about accommodating him and suggested he would continue submitting doctor's notes to obtain disability accommodations, despite having no prior history of doing so. Rather than engaging in a good-faith interactive process to determine reasonable accommodation, Edgar's legal team alleged the company moved toward termination. During trial, Fairgrove's Head of HR admitted to providing false testimony in the litigation while Fairgrove's CEO testified that the company handled Edgar's situation "flawlessly." Just days later, a jury in San Diego awarded Edgar $2,335,000: $35,000 in lost wages, $1,000,000 in emotional distress damages, and $1,300,000 in punitive damages. Fairgrove will also be required to pay Edgar's attorney fees and costs, which will likely bring Edgar's total recovery to over $3,335,000. "Edgar is a hard worker who was willing to do anything that Fairgrove asked and the company was happy to have him on board until he became disabled, at which time Fairgrove's leadership decided to discard him," said attorney Zak Franklin of Franklin Law PC. "We believe this verdict confirms that all employees, even short term or lower paid employees, deserve justice and juries are willing to award substantial damages regardless of a plaintiff's salary or tenure." The case is Edgar Figueroa v. Sullivan Properties, Inc. d/b/a "Fairgrove Property Management", San Diego Superior Court, Case No. 37-2024-000012929-CU-WT-CTL. SOURCE Franklin Law PC