Contract and Defamation Case Settled

Our client was a long term employee of a company with a written contract who was fired because certain colleagues accused him of being divisive and creating a hostile work environment. Prior to his termination, the company hired an outside investigator, initiated two separate investigations, conducted 30+ interviews, and obtained over ten declarations against our client. Each of these materials was used by the company to justify a "good cause" termination. In fact, however, there was no good cause.

Through depositions and written discovery, we obtained substantial evidence demonstrating that the company's investigations were not in good faith and were tainted with bias. We were able to show that: interview questions were specifically designed to elicit negative responses concerning our client, the investigator basically bullied and intimidated his interviewees, and, importantly, that our client was not presented with the evidence acquired against him and afforded an adequate opportunity to present his side of the story. Each of these facts, among others, weighed heavily against the neutrality of the company's investigations. Our client recovered a significant settlement in several multiples of his annual salary. The settlement occurred relatively quickly, long before trial, and our client invested the proceeds in a new home in close proximity to a new job. Here, there was no anxiety inducing trial, post trial motions, appeal of a judgment taking several years and so on. There was, instead, a negotiation at mediation, an agreement, and prompt payment. Our client moved on with his life and left the bad employment situation behind.

It is not uncommon for companies to create more problems than benefits for themselves when they hire outsiders in an effort to cover up their liability for a wrongful termination. If you have questions about your termination, please feel free to contact us.