Recent Employment Law Settlements And Verdicts

Zatuchni & Associates Negotiates $200K Whistleblower Settlement

Zatuchni & Associates recently obtained $200,000 in settlement of an employee’s “whistleblower” claim, filed under the New Jersey Conscientious Employee Protection Act (CEPA).  The employee, who worked at a chain grocery store, alleged that he witnessed his manager re-packaging and selling products that were well past their expiration dates.  The employee further alleged that his manager directed him to do the same.  Instead, he protested and threatened to take his complaints up the chain of command.  Shortly thereafter, he was terminated and filed suit.

The grocery store attempted to obtain a pre-trial “summary judgment” in its favor, arguing that the employee’s termination was justified by his work performance.  However, Zatuchni & Associates countered with strong evidence, including testimony from the employee’s co-workers, that his firing was purely in retaliation for complaining about his manager’s fraud.  The court agreed, entering summary judgment in the employee’s favor, and Zatuchni & Associates negotiated a settlement soon after.

We are once again pleased that our superior and tenacious litigation practice resulted in the successful resolution of a client’s claim.

$190K Settlement Reached In Age Discrimination Claim

Zatuchni & Associates is delighted to announce that it secured a $190,000 settlement for a client’s age discrimination claim.  The client in question was a long-standing salesperson for a large, multi-national pharmaceutical company.  In her suit, she alleged that, once she reached her fifties, the company targeted her with false discipline/negative performance reviews as part of a campaign to eliminate her due to her age.

Ultimately, the company terminated the salesperson, citing her disciplinary and performance record as justification.  The company further tried to end the salesperson’s age claim through a pre-trial, “summary judgment” motion.  However, Zatuchni & Associates won this motion by presenting and arguing the evidence showing that the company’s stated reasons for firing the salesperson were just a pretext for unlawful age discrimination.  At that point, the company relented and agreed to settle.

The case illustrates how Zatuchni & Associates’ top-notch and aggressive representation can benefit workers who have been wronged by their employers.

Zatuchni & Associates Obtains $200K Settlement For Age Discrimination Claim

Recently, Zatuchni & Associates negotiated a $200,000 settlement of an employee’s age discrimination and retaliation claims. The employee in question worked for over two decades as a clerk for a Fortune-500 shipping company. He alleged that, once he reached his sixties, his managers began subjecting him to a string of bogus disciplines in order to get him fired.  In particular, he alleged that management issued him a citation, and ultimately terminated him, for failing to provide a doctor’s note excusing his absence from work, when in fact the employee had provided such a note on several occasions.

The case was sent to mediation, where Zatuchni & Associates argued that the disciplines issued to the employee were false, and merely a paper-trail concocted by management to hide its unlawful age discrimination. After a lively round of negotiation, Zatuchni & Associates was pleased to secure its client’s approval for a $200K settlement offer.

Zatuchni & Associates Obtains $3.2 Million Verdict On Behalf Of Whistleblower

Zatuchni & Associates represented a former employee of a national crafts store in a whistleblower lawsuit against the company under the New Jersey Conscientious Employee Protection Act. The employee brought her lawsuit in New Jersey, claiming that she was subjected to intolerable retaliatory harassment after she blew the whistle on a manager’s unlawful scheme to avoid paying overtime wages. After a week long trial, a jury returned a verdict in the employee’s favor in the amount of $3.2 million in compensatory and punitive damages. After post-trial motions were filed, the case settled for a confidential amount.

Zatuchni & Associates Recovers $275,000 For School Teacher Wrongful Termination Claim

Zatuchni & Associates recently negotiated a $275,000 settlement of a school teacher’s wrongful termination claim based on her free speech rights. The teacher, who was a Union President, was fired from her school district after filing grievances and unfair labor practice charges against the School Principal.  The School District maintained that the teacher was terminated due to an economic reduction in force. The settlement was reached after an extensive settlement conference held by the assignment judge of the Superior Court of New Jersey.