DLA Piper secures defense win for the California Institute of Technology in employment lawsuit

DLA Piper obtained a full defense verdict for the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in an employment lawsuit in Los Angeles. The claim was brought by a former Caltech engineer, who provided guidance and control for a mission operated by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

The operative complaint contained eight causes of action based on disability discrimination and failure to accommodate, as well as a whistleblower claim alleging a death threat and misuse of government resources.

The plaintiff alleged that after reporting a coworker's harassment and misuse of funds, Caltech failed to conduct an appropriate investigation into the concerns, and subsequently failed to return him to work following his submission of medical notes requesting that he be allowed to return to work. The jury returned a unanimous defense verdict in favor of Caltech.

The DLA Piper team that represented Caltech included partner Holly Lake and associates Ryan Estes and Elias Parisca (all in Los Angeles).