Won Jury Trial for Employer in Disability and Gender Discrimination Case

Payne & Fears LLP won a complete defense verdict for its client, a nationwide employer, following a jury trial in the United States District Court for the Central District of California. In Wagner v. Corinthian Colleges, Inc., the plaintiff alleged that her former employer had discriminated against her based on her alleged disability (a foot injury) and her gender, and claimed to have been wrongfully discharged. Payne & Fears obtained partial summary judgment on the disability claim, then went on to obtain a unanimous jury verdict in the employer’s favor on the sex discrimination case, largely by demonstrating that the plaintiff had been laid off in a market-driven reduction in force based on legitimate business factors. Jeff Brown and Rachel Warren defended the case for the successful employer.