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    <title>Sacramento Personal Injury Lawyer Blog</title>
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   <id>tag:www.sacramentopersonalinjurylawyerblog.com,2010://412</id>
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    <updated>2010-02-24T15:59:58Z</updated>
    <subtitle>Published by Moseley Collins</subtitle>
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<entry>
    <title>Whistle-Blower Employee From Sacramento Terminated By Kaiser, Part 11 of 11</title>
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    <link rel="service.edit" type="application/atom+xml" href="http://www.sacramentopersonalinjurylawyerblog.com/cgi-bin/mt-atom.cgi/weblog/blog_id=412/entry_id=66930" title="Whistle-Blower Employee From Sacramento Terminated By Kaiser, Part 11 of 11" />
    <id>tag:www.sacramentopersonalinjurylawyerblog.com,2010://412.66930</id>
    
    <published>2010-02-24T15:56:14Z</published>
    <updated>2010-02-24T15:59:58Z</updated>
    
    <summary>(Please note: the names and locations of all parties have been changed to protect the confidentiality of the participants in this employment discrimination/personal injury case and its proceedings.) DAMAGES Had Ms. Church remained at Kaiser she would have received increasing...</summary>
    <author>
        <name>Moseley Collins </name>
        <uri>http://www.moseleycollins.com</uri>
    </author>
            <category term="Workplace Discrimination/Sexual Harassment" />
    
    <content type="html" xml:lang="en" xml:base="http://www.sacramentopersonalinjurylawyerblog.com/">
        <![CDATA[<p>(Please note: the names and locations of all parties have been changed to protect the confidentiality of the participants in this employment discrimination/<a href="http://www.moseleycollins.com/lawyer-attorney-1245027.html">personal injury </a>case and its proceedings.)</p>

<p>DAMAGES</p>

<p>Had Ms. Church remained at Kaiser she would have received increasing salary (including increased salary from promotions which were denied to her by her second level supervisor, Charles Smith and her quasi-supervisor, David Black, for thirteen (13) years until retirement with an average increase of approx. 3 %, totaling $1,262,776.  Had Plaintiff received promotions, the total would be $1,528,201 assuming a salary of $95,000 a year in 2006, $1,608,632 assuming a salary of $100,000 a year in 2006, and $2,010,791 assuming a salary of $125,000 in 2006. While Ms. Church is currently working as a temporary employee for Bayer, through an agency, this is not comparable employment. She is paid $30 an hour with no benefits. Ms. Church's many other attempts at gaining employment have been unsuccessful.</p>

<p>Benefits lost by Ms. Church as a <a href="http://www.moseleycollins.com/lawyer-attorney-1417745.html">result of the termination </a>are:</p>

<p>1) Medical and dental benefits</p>

<p>2) Flexible employee life ($500,000 death benefit)</p>

<p>3) Accidental Death Benefit</p>

<p>4) Long-term Disability Benefit</p>

<p>5) Three years build up of contribution to sick time and vacation which increases with time served.</p>

<p>6) The contribution to the time served would have resulted in medical benefits for life; fifteen (15) years of service gains towards retiring-employee medical benefits for life.</p>

<p>7) The ability to contribute to a 401K that Kaiser matched .50 on the dollar.</p>

<p>8) Two $1,000 reimbursements for education.</p>

<p>9) Bonuses of 3-5% of an employee's gross salary or $2,355 - $3,925, increasing per year of service.</p>

<p>In addition, Ms. Church has suffered substantial emotional distress.</p>]]>
        <![CDATA[<p>Attorneys fees are also compensable under Ms. Church's claims under the Labor Code, Health and Safety Code Section 1278.5, Equal Pay Act and FEHA.</p>

<p>At mediation in this case, Ms. Church's final demand was $850,000 and Kaiser's final offer was $55,000. Ms. Church's current demand is $490,000.</p>

<p>For more information you are welcome to <a href="http://www.moseleycollins.com/index.html">contact Sacramento personal injury lawyer</a>, Moseley Collins.	</p>]]>
    </content>
</entry>
<entry>
    <title>Sacramento Employee Blows Whistle On Kaiser, Part 10 of 11</title>
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    <link rel="service.edit" type="application/atom+xml" href="http://www.sacramentopersonalinjurylawyerblog.com/cgi-bin/mt-atom.cgi/weblog/blog_id=412/entry_id=66929" title="Sacramento Employee Blows Whistle On Kaiser, Part 10 of 11" />
    <id>tag:www.sacramentopersonalinjurylawyerblog.com,2010://412.66929</id>
    
    <published>2010-02-22T15:52:23Z</published>
    <updated>2010-02-22T16:01:05Z</updated>
    
    <summary>(Please note: the names and locations of all parties have been changed to protect the confidentiality of the participants in this employment discrimination/personal injury case and its proceedings.) EQUAL PAY ACT CLAIM While Ms. Church worked for Kaiser, she suffered...</summary>
    <author>
        <name>Moseley Collins </name>
        <uri>http://www.moseleycollins.com</uri>
    </author>
            <category term="Workplace Discrimination/Sexual Harassment" />
    
    <content type="html" xml:lang="en" xml:base="http://www.sacramentopersonalinjurylawyerblog.com/">
        <![CDATA[<p>(Please note: the names and locations of all parties have been changed to protect the confidentiality of the participants in this employment discrimination/personal injury case and its proceedings.)</p>

<p>EQUAL PAY ACT CLAIM</p>

<p>While Ms. Church worked for Kaiser, she <a href="http://www.moseleycollins.com/lawyer-attorney-1417745.html">suffered wage discrimination </a>as defined by the state and federal Equal Pay Acts. Ms. Church's salary was very low for her position. Many others in her position were managers but she was refused that title. Plaintiff alleges that the male hired in her prior position shortly after she asked to be transferred to Sacramento was paid $6,000 more a year than she was in that same position.</p>

<p>Kaiser argues that the reason for the pay discrepancy was the male employee's greater qualifications but Ms. Church will testify that the qualifications which actually applied to the job in question were equal; it was the pay that was different.</p>

<p>CONVERSION CLAIM</p>

<p>At the time that <a href="http://www.moseleycollins.com/lawyer-attorney-1245027.html">Ms. Church was terminated</a>, she was not permitted to take numerous binders of material which belonged to her. This property consisted of numerous documents regarding her personal research into compliance issues and represented numerous hours of personal work. Ms. Church later learned that Mr. White callously discarded this personal property belonging to her. In his deposition Mr. White suggested that the material might still exist in his office but Kaiser still has not returned the binders to Ms. Church. The discarding or wrongful retention of Ms. Church's material without permission constitutes conversion:</p>

<p>Conversion is the wrongful exercise of dominion over the property of another. The elements of a conversion claim are: (1) the plaintiff's ownership or right to possession of the property; (2) the defendant's conversion by a wrongful act or disposition of property rights; and (3) damages. Conversion is a strict liability tort. </p>]]>
        <![CDATA[<p>The foundation of the action rests neither in the knowledge nor the intent of the defendant. Instead, the tort consists in the breach of an absolute duty; the act of conversion itself is tortious. Therefore, questions of the defendant's good faith, lack of knowledge, and motive are ordinarily immaterial.  (Burlesci v. Petersen (1998) 68 Cal.App.4th 1062, 1066.)</p>

<p>At trial, Ms. Church will be seeking the cost of replacement based on the hundreds of hours necessary to locate and print all of the material stolen by Kaiser, as well as punitive damages related to Mr. White's and Kaiser's callous act of either discarding or keeping the binders.</p>

<p>LABOR CODE SECTION 1050 CLAIM</p>

<p>Subsequent to Ms. Church's termination, in violation of Labor Code Section 1050, Mr. White falsely stated to a reference checker that Ms. Church had been terminated because she  wasn't getting along with people,  evidence that Mr. White has been making false statements to other potential employers, thereby preventing Ms. Church from obtaining employment.  (See Part 11 of 11.)</p>

<p>For more information you are welcome to <a href="http://www.moseleycollins.com/index.html">contact Sacramento personal injury lawyer</a>, Moseley Collins.</p>]]>
    </content>
</entry>
<entry>
    <title>Kaiser Illegally Terminates Employee From Sacramento, Part 9 of 11</title>
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    <id>tag:www.sacramentopersonalinjurylawyerblog.com,2010://412.66927</id>
    
    <published>2010-02-20T15:47:39Z</published>
    <updated>2010-02-20T15:49:41Z</updated>
    
    <summary>(Please note: the names and locations of all parties have been changed to protect the confidentiality of the participants in this employment discrimination/personal injury case and its proceedings.) Further, Defendant&apos;s argument that Plaintiff has no legal protection for reporting illegal...</summary>
    <author>
        <name>Moseley Collins </name>
        <uri>http://www.moseleycollins.com</uri>
    </author>
            <category term="Workplace Discrimination/Sexual Harassment" />
    
    <content type="html" xml:lang="en" xml:base="http://www.sacramentopersonalinjurylawyerblog.com/">
        <![CDATA[<p>(Please note: the names and locations of all parties have been changed to protect the confidentiality of the participants in this employment discrimination/personal injury case and its proceedings.)</p>

<p>Further, Defendant's argument that Plaintiff has no legal protection for reporting illegal practices because such reporting was an essential part of her job duties turns logic and law upside down. If Defendant's position were accepted, it would mean that the very employee charged with reporting illegal activity would have no incentive to make a report because the employee would not be <a href="http://www.moseleycollins.com/lawyer-attorney-1417745.html">protected from retaliation</a> for reporting the illegal conduct. </p>

<p>Fortunately, and not surprisingly, California law does not abandon those <a href="http://www.moseleycollins.com/lawyer-attorney-1245027.html">employees most in need of legal protection</a>, i.e., those who by virtue of their position must report illegal activity. See e.g. Green v. Ralee Eng. Co. (1998) 19 Cal.4th 66, 79 (public policy termination claim properly stated by quality control inspector who complained about unsafe conditions on airplane despite that the quality control inspector, like Plaintiff here, was simply doing his job); Flait v. North American Watch Corp. (1992) 3 Cal.App.4th 467, 477 (supervisor who objects to and tries to stop sexual harassment of another employee entitled to protection from retaliation despite that supervisor had an obligation to make the report as part of basic supervisorial duties).</p>

<p>DISPARATE TREATMENT CLAIM</p>

<p>Although discovery has not been pursued with regard to this claim, Ms. Church contends that David Black (her quasi-supervisor for a period of time because her direct supervisor rarely came to work) and Mary Smith, her second-level supervisor, treated her differently than males in comparable positions.</p>]]>
        <![CDATA[<p>More significantly, Ms. Church's supervisor, Richard White, who Plaintiff will testify was completely incompetent, frequently absent, and was the person who left her confidential evaluation on the computer screen was never terminated despite his incredibly poor performance.  (See Part 10 of 11.)</p>

<p>For more information you are welcome to <a href="http://www.moseleycollins.com/index.html">contact Sacramento personal injury lawyer</a>, Moseley Collins.</p>]]>
    </content>
</entry>
<entry>
    <title>Kaiser Employee From Sacramento Sues For Wrongful Termination, Part 8 of 11</title>
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    <link rel="service.edit" type="application/atom+xml" href="http://www.sacramentopersonalinjurylawyerblog.com/cgi-bin/mt-atom.cgi/weblog/blog_id=412/entry_id=66926" title="Kaiser Employee From Sacramento Sues For Wrongful Termination, Part 8 of 11" />
    <id>tag:www.sacramentopersonalinjurylawyerblog.com,2010://412.66926</id>
    
    <published>2010-02-17T15:41:14Z</published>
    <updated>2010-02-17T15:47:24Z</updated>
    
    <summary>(Please note: the names and locations of all parties have been changed to protect the confidentiality of the participants in this employment discrimination/personal injury case and its proceedings.) Kaiser also contends that because reporting unsafe and unlawful conditions was part...</summary>
    <author>
        <name>Moseley Collins </name>
        <uri>http://www.moseleycollins.com</uri>
    </author>
            <category term="Workplace Discrimination/Sexual Harassment" />
    
    <content type="html" xml:lang="en" xml:base="http://www.sacramentopersonalinjurylawyerblog.com/">
        <![CDATA[<p>(Please note: the names and locations of all parties have been changed to protect the confidentiality of the participants in this employment discrimination/personal injury case and its proceedings.)</p>

<p>Kaiser also contends that because reporting unsafe and unlawful conditions was part of Plaintiff's job, she is precluded from raising a <a href="http://www.moseleycollins.com/lawyer-attorney-1417745.html">wrongful termination claim</a> or Labor Code section 1102. In its desperation, Kaiser turns to federal cases around the country, including an ill considered opinion from the Eastern District of California, lacking any authority to cite to a single California case supporting the outrageous position that it can fire someone for reporting <a href="http://www.moseleycollins.com/lawyer-attorney-1245027.html">Kaiser wrongdoing</a>. Kaiser's argument is not only flatly wrong, it is undermined by Garcetti v. Cebellos (2006) 547 U.S. 410, 126 S. Ct.1951, in which the Court held that Labor Code violations remain actionable even to those whose job encompasses the reporting so that employees who seek to expose wrongdoing are still protected.</p>

<p>Exposing governmental inefficiency and misconduct is a matter of considerable significance. As the Court noted in Connick, public employers should,  as a matter of good judgment,  be  receptive to constructive criticism offered by their employees.  461 U.S., at 149, 103 S.Ct. 1684. The dictates of sound judgment are reinforced by the powerful network of legislative enactments-such as whistle-blower protection laws and labor codes-available to those who seek to expose wrongdoing. See, e.g., 5 U.S.C. § 2302(b)(8); Cal. Govt.Code Ann. § 8547.8 (West 2005); Cal. Lab.Code Ann. § 1102.5 (West Supp.2006) </p>]]>
        <![CDATA[<p>These imperatives, as well as obligations arising from any other applicable constitutional provisions and mandates of the criminal and civil laws, protect employees and provide checks on supervisors who would order unlawful or otherwise inappropriate actions.</p>

<p>547 U.S. at 425-426. This statement makes it clear that United States Supreme Court has no intention of extending any limitation of employees' claims to legislation such as the Cal. Lab.Code or wrongful termination claims based on that legislation simply because they had a job in which reporting was part of the job.  (See Part 9 of 11.)</p>

<p>For more information you are welcome to <a href="http://www.moseleycollins.com/index.html">contact Sacramento personal injury lawyer</a>, Moseley Collins.</p>]]>
    </content>
</entry>
<entry>
    <title>Wrongfully Terminated Sacramento Woman Sues Kaiser, Part 7 of  11</title>
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    <link rel="service.edit" type="application/atom+xml" href="http://www.sacramentopersonalinjurylawyerblog.com/cgi-bin/mt-atom.cgi/weblog/blog_id=412/entry_id=66924" title="Wrongfully Terminated Sacramento Woman Sues Kaiser, Part 7 of  11" />
    <id>tag:www.sacramentopersonalinjurylawyerblog.com,2010://412.66924</id>
    
    <published>2010-02-14T15:34:58Z</published>
    <updated>2010-02-14T15:46:09Z</updated>
    
    <summary>(Please note: the names and locations of all parties have been changed to protect the confidentiality of the participants in this employment discrimination/personal injury case and its proceedings.) The other temporal nexus which is significant is the one between Ms....</summary>
    <author>
        <name>Moseley Collins </name>
        <uri>http://www.moseleycollins.com</uri>
    </author>
            <category term="Workplace Discrimination/Sexual Harassment" />
    
    <content type="html" xml:lang="en" xml:base="http://www.sacramentopersonalinjurylawyerblog.com/">
        <![CDATA[<p>(Please note: the names and locations of all parties have been changed to protect the confidentiality of the participants in this employment discrimination/personal injury case and its proceedings.)</p>

<p>The other temporal nexus which is significant is the one between <a href="http://www.moseleycollins.com/lawyer-attorney-1417745.html">Ms. Church's termination </a>and her December 5,2006 complaint to Stan Brown, COO of the Kaiser Medical Center, about how her chain of command, including Richard White and Charles Smith, was ineffectual in addressing workplace safety issues. Mr. Oliver responded to Ms. Church's initial request for assistance by requiring her to go through the same chain of command, and copying Charles Smith on the email, thereby alerting Mr. Smith that Ms. Church was complaining about the ineffectiveness of the chain of command. </p>

<p>Mr. Oliver did nothing to investigate or prevent <a href="http://www.moseleycollins.com/lawyer-attorney-1245027.html">Ms. Church's subsequent termination for wrongful reasons</a>. See Coszalter v. City of Salem (9th Cir.2003) 320 F.3d 968, 977 (employee can show that complaints were a substantial motivating factor in an adverse employment action by introducing evidence regarding the proximity in time between his speech and the allegedly retaliatory action); See also Lujan v. Minagar (2004) 124 Cal.App.4th.1040, 1046 (wrongful termination under Labor Code Sec. 6310 includes preemptive retaliation against employees whom an employer fears will file workplace safety complaints).</p>

<p>Kaiser argues that Church was terminated for legitimate reasons, cannot prove otherwise by showing that the reasons were pretext for retaliatory animus, and therefore it should prevail on summary judgment. As Church's claim is a state law claim for retaliation, the California Court of Appeal decision in Mamou v. Trendwest Resorts Inc. (2008) 165 Cal.App.4th 686 is directly on point. As clarified by the Mamou, "while  pretext" is certainly a relevant issue...the central issue...whether the evidence as a whole supports a reasoned inference that the challenged action was the product of retaliatory animus.  Id. at 715 (emphasis added by counsel). At the summary judgment stage, the Court's duty is to determine whether the employee's evidence  is too weak to sustain a reasoned inference in the employee's favor.  Id. (emphasis by court). If reasonable competing inferences may be drawn from the facts, summary judgment should be denied. Adickes v. S.H. Kress & Co., supra, 398 US at 157; Lake Nacimiento Ranch Co. v. San Luis Obispo County (9th Cir. 1987) 841 F2d 872, 875.</p>]]>
        <![CDATA[<p>In this case, while a jury could draw a reasoned inference that the very close proximity in time between Plaintiff's complaints and her termination was coincidental, the jury could also draw a reasoned inference that the proximity between the two acts was evidence enough of retaliatory animus. Fisher v. San Pedro (1989) 214 Cal.App. 3d 590, 615 (one may infer retaliation by the  proximity in time between protected activity and the allegedly retaliatory employment decision. )</p>

<p>While Kaiser disputes that Ms. Church's termination resulted from her complaints about the continuing violations and the incompetence of her management in addressing those violations, the failure of those managers to address her complaints, the effort to terminated her, and the ludicrous and retaliatory reason for terminating her raises questions of fact for a jury to decide after hearing about the state of patient and staff health and safety at Kaiser Sacramento.  (See Part 8 of 11.)</p>

<p>For more information you are welcome to <a href="http://www.moseleycollins.com/index.html">contact Sacramento personal injury lawyer</a>, Moseley Collins.</p>]]>
    </content>
</entry>
<entry>
    <title>Sacramento Employee Files Workplace Discrimination Suit Against Kaiser, Part 6 of 11</title>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.sacramentopersonalinjurylawyerblog.com/2010/02/part_6_of_11_1.html" />
    <link rel="service.edit" type="application/atom+xml" href="http://www.sacramentopersonalinjurylawyerblog.com/cgi-bin/mt-atom.cgi/weblog/blog_id=412/entry_id=66922" title="Sacramento Employee Files Workplace Discrimination Suit Against Kaiser, Part 6 of 11" />
    <id>tag:www.sacramentopersonalinjurylawyerblog.com,2010://412.66922</id>
    
    <published>2010-02-12T15:31:28Z</published>
    <updated>2010-02-12T15:41:41Z</updated>
    
    <summary>(Please note: the names and locations of all parties have been changed to protect the confidentiality of the participants in this employment discrimination/personal injury case and its proceedings.) While working at Kaiser-Permanente, Ms. Church made frequent complaints to upper management,...</summary>
    <author>
        <name>Moseley Collins </name>
        <uri>http://www.moseleycollins.com</uri>
    </author>
            <category term="Workplace Discrimination/Sexual Harassment" />
    
    <content type="html" xml:lang="en" xml:base="http://www.sacramentopersonalinjurylawyerblog.com/">
        <![CDATA[<p>(Please note: the names and locations of all parties have been changed to protect the confidentiality of the participants in this employment discrimination/personal injury case and its proceedings.)</p>

<p>While working at Kaiser-Permanente, Ms. Church made <a href="http://www.moseleycollins.com/lawyer-attorney-1417745.html">frequent complaints to upper management</a>, including officers and managing agents such as Stan Brown, David Black, and Mary Smith, regarding the <a href="http://www.moseleycollins.com/lawyer-attorney-1245027.html">failure of Kaiser to address serious patient and staff safety issues</a>. None of Ms. Church's complaints received any substantive response, other than her termination. The subjects of these complaints included:</p>

<p>* OSHA violations including concerns about frequent blood splashes and gastric juices deposited on nurses and the failure of Kaiser to install necessary OSHA required eyewash stations.</p>

<p>* The continued use of non-safety needles to avoid accidental punctures of staff.</p>

<p>* Toxicity of a new facility at Sacramento and a manager's withholding of the report of work that was being done to correct that toxicity found in the Forensic Analytical report commissioned by Charles Smith to the employees in the building.</p>

<p>* The loss by Richard White of Personal Air Purification Respirators given to Sacramento to protect staff and patients from airborne pathogens and would not find them.</p>

<p>* The lack of fit testing for N-95 respirators at the Oakland or Sacramento facilities.</p>]]>
        <![CDATA[<p>* The placement of tuberculosis patients in non-quarantined rooms, in the general patient population and released back out into the general population, including a 14 year-old child who had tuberculosis and whose mother was a Registered Nurse and whose father came contact with about 500 people daily. Those patients that were quarantined were placed in isolation rooms many of which did not work because air exchange testing had not been performed on an annual basis as is required. In another instance, in 2006, a tuberculosis patient was released by a Registered Nurse to get on a bus and released into the general population.</p>

<p>* The use of a toxic substance, Cidex, in unventilated rooms, a practice which endangered staff.</p>

<p>The temporal nexus between Ms. Church's last complaint in December 2006 regarding toxic fumes from the use of Cidex in an unventilated room being used as a Pulmonary Lab, the unjustified disciplinary letter of December 28, 2006, and Ms. Church's termination on January 10, 2006 is compelling. Rather than address any of Ms. Church's concerns, management found an opportunity to terminate her and took it, in violation of not only Kaisers anti-retaliation policy but also its Dispute Resolution Program which was never followed once in response to a health or safety concern raised by Ms. Church.  That an employer's actions were caused by an employee's engagement in protected activities may be inferred from the  proximity in time between the protected action and the allegedly retaliatory employment decision.    Ray v. Henderson (9th Cir. 2000) 217 F.3d 1234, 1244.  (See Part 7 of 11.)</p>

<p>For more information you are welcome to <a href="http://www.moseleycollins.com/index.html">contact Sacramento personal injury lawyer</a>, Moseley Collins.</p>]]>
    </content>
</entry>
<entry>
    <title>Employment Discrimination Action Filed Agaisnt Kaiser By Sacramento Woman, Part 5 of 11</title>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.sacramentopersonalinjurylawyerblog.com/2010/02/part_5_of_11_1.html" />
    <link rel="service.edit" type="application/atom+xml" href="http://www.sacramentopersonalinjurylawyerblog.com/cgi-bin/mt-atom.cgi/weblog/blog_id=412/entry_id=66921" title="Employment Discrimination Action Filed Agaisnt Kaiser By Sacramento Woman, Part 5 of 11" />
    <id>tag:www.sacramentopersonalinjurylawyerblog.com,2010://412.66921</id>
    
    <published>2010-02-10T15:25:53Z</published>
    <updated>2010-02-10T15:32:13Z</updated>
    
    <summary>(Please note: the names and locations of all parties have been changed to protect the confidentiality of the participants in this employment discrimination/personal injury case and its proceedings.) Additionally, Ms. Church&apos;s termination was in violation of Health and Safety Code...</summary>
    <author>
        <name>Moseley Collins </name>
        <uri>http://www.moseleycollins.com</uri>
    </author>
            <category term="Workplace Discrimination/Sexual Harassment" />
    
    <content type="html" xml:lang="en" xml:base="http://www.sacramentopersonalinjurylawyerblog.com/">
        <![CDATA[<p>(Please note: the names and locations of all parties have been changed to protect the confidentiality of the participants in this employment discrimination/personal injury case and its proceedings.)</p>

<p>Additionally, <a href="http://www.moseleycollins.com/lawyer-attorney-1417745.html">Ms. Church's termination was in violation </a>of Health and Safety Code Section 1278.5(b)(1):  No health facility shall discriminate or retaliate, in any manner, against any patient, employee, member of the medical staff, or any other health care worker of the health facility because that person has done either of the following:</p>

<p>(a) Presented a grievance, complaint, or report to the facility, to an entity or agency responsible for accrediting or evaluating the facility, or the medical staff of the facility, or to any other governmental entity.</p>

<p>(d)(1) There shall be a rebuttable presumption that <a href="http://www.moseleycollins.com/lawyer-attorney-1417745.html">discriminatory action </a>was taken by the health facility, or by the entity that owns or operates that health facility, or that owns or operates any other health facility, in retaliation against an employee, member of the medical staff, or any other health care worker of the facility, if responsible staff at the facility or the entity that owns or operates the facility had knowledge of the actions, participation, or cooperation of the person responsible for any acts described in paragraph (1) of subdivision (b), and the discriminatory action occurs within 120 days of the filing of the grievance or complaint by the employee, member of the medical staff or any other health care worker of the facility.<br />
</p>]]>
        <![CDATA[<p>(2) For purposes of this section, discriminatory treatment of an employee, member of the medical staff, or any other health care worker includes, but is not limited to, discharge, demotion, suspension, or any unfavorable changes in, or breach of, the terms or conditions of a contract, employment, or privileges of the employee, member of the medical staff, or any other health care worker of the health care facility, or the threat of any of these actions.  (See Part 6 of 11.)</p>

<p>For more information you are welcome to <a href="http://www.moseleycollins.com/index.html">contact Sacramento personal injury lawyer</a>, Moseley Collins.</p>]]>
    </content>
</entry>
<entry>
    <title>Sacramento Woman Files Wrongful Termination Action Against Kaiser, Part 4 of 11</title>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.sacramentopersonalinjurylawyerblog.com/2010/02/part_4_of_11_1.html" />
    <link rel="service.edit" type="application/atom+xml" href="http://www.sacramentopersonalinjurylawyerblog.com/cgi-bin/mt-atom.cgi/weblog/blog_id=412/entry_id=66919" title="Sacramento Woman Files Wrongful Termination Action Against Kaiser, Part 4 of 11" />
    <id>tag:www.sacramentopersonalinjurylawyerblog.com,2010://412.66919</id>
    
    <published>2010-02-08T15:20:28Z</published>
    <updated>2010-02-08T15:24:40Z</updated>
    
    <summary>(Please note: the names and locations of all parties have been changed to protect the confidentiality of the participants in this employment discrimination/personal injury case and its proceedings.) Kaiser has a very clear national policy regarding Corrective/Disciplinary Action because it...</summary>
    <author>
        <name>Moseley Collins </name>
        <uri>http://www.moseleycollins.com</uri>
    </author>
            <category term="Workplace Discrimination/Sexual Harassment" />
    
    <content type="html" xml:lang="en" xml:base="http://www.sacramentopersonalinjurylawyerblog.com/">
        <![CDATA[<p>(Please note: the names and locations of all parties have been changed to protect the confidentiality of the participants in this employment discrimination/personal injury case and its proceedings.)</p>

<p>Kaiser has a very clear national policy regarding <a href="http://">Corrective/Disciplinary Action </a>because it is obligated to have one.</p>

<p>Kaiser Permanente (KP) must comply with specific legal/regulatory standards that include, but are not limited to, those indicated by Medicare and other government program billing requirements, Guidance issued by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the Department of Health and Human Services, the Compliance Program Guidance issued by the Office of the Inspector General, and HIPAA/Privacy and Security regulations .... KP is required to have well publicized disciplinary guidelines that demonstrate its commitment to compliance and set forth the consequences for violations of compliance mandates.</p>

<p>In other words, state and federal laws and regulations require that Kaiser follow its own Corrective/Disciplinary Action policy. The last paragraph of that policy states:  Employees who report compliance and/or ethics concerns in good faith will not be subject to corrective/disciplinary action for doing so...  Nevertheless, even assuming the truth of Kaiser's purported reason for terminating Ms. Church, <a href="http://www.moseleycollins.com/lawyer-attorney-1417745.html">Ms. Church was terminated in violation of Kaiser's legally mandated policy</a> because she was terminated for printing out an improperly viewable document to show to Mr. Oliver.</p>

<p>In fact, both the reasons given for Ms. Church's ultimate termination and the underlying reasons for the draft disciplinary letter which she printed from Mr. White's screen were pretext for retaliatory action and restraint of Ms. Church's efforts to hold the managers in charge of Environmental, Health and Safety accountable for the numerous lapses in employee and patient safety which they have countenanced while she has worked for Kaiser (first as a consultant, then as an employee).  Kaiser managers expressed  concerns  about Ms. Church's communication style when she would communicate that a) there were serious defects in Kaiser's workplace safety program and b) those managers were partly or fully responsible for those serious defects. </p>]]>
        <![CDATA[<p>Hospital workplace safety is governed by state and federal OSHA regulations, as well as other state and federal health regulations, and retaliation against an employee who voices concerns about violations of those regulations is a tortious violation of public policy as well as a violation of Labor Code Sec. 6310:</p>

<p>(a) No person shall discharge or in any manner discriminate against any employee because the employee has done any of the following:</p>

<p>(1) Made any oral or written complaint to the division, other governmental agencies having statutory responsibility for or assisting the division with reference to employee safety or health, his or her employer, or his or her representative.  (See Part 5 of 11.)</p>

<p>For more information you are welcome to <a href="http://www.moseleycollins.com/index.html">contact Sacramento personal injury lawyer</a>, Moseley Collins.</p>]]>
    </content>
</entry>
<entry>
    <title>Sacramento Lawmakers Concerned About Toyota Recall And Accidents</title>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.sacramentopersonalinjurylawyerblog.com/2010/02/sacramento_lawmakers_concerned.html" />
    <link rel="service.edit" type="application/atom+xml" href="http://www.sacramentopersonalinjurylawyerblog.com/cgi-bin/mt-atom.cgi/weblog/blog_id=412/entry_id=68357" title="Sacramento Lawmakers Concerned About Toyota Recall And Accidents" />
    <id>tag:www.sacramentopersonalinjurylawyerblog.com,2010://412.68357</id>
    
    <published>2010-02-06T19:58:45Z</published>
    <updated>2010-02-06T19:56:14Z</updated>
    
    <summary>Toyota&apos;s recent series of missteps has forced the automaker to recall millions of vehicles that could potentially malfunction (obviously, some already have), possibly causing injury to the occupants as well as other drivers sharing the road. Sacramento lawmakers are stepping...</summary>
    <author>
        <name>Moseley Collins </name>
        <uri>http://www.moseleycollins.com</uri>
    </author>
            <category term="Car Accidents" />
    
    <content type="html" xml:lang="en" xml:base="http://www.sacramentopersonalinjurylawyerblog.com/">
        <![CDATA[<p>Toyota's recent series of missteps has forced the automaker to recall millions of vehicles that could potentially malfunction (obviously, some already have), possibly causing injury to the occupants as well as other drivers sharing the road. Sacramento lawmakers are stepping up their efforts to stay ahead of potential issues affecting California drivers.</p>

<p>A House Democrat expressed concern Wednesday about a massive Toyota recall that has led the automaker to stop manufacturing and selling vehicles linked to <a href="http://www.moseleycollins.com/lawyer-attorney-1245027.html">problems with gas pedals</a>, signaling that Congress could soon review the massive recall.</p>

<p>Michigan Rep. Bart Stupak, who leads an investigative subcommittee, said his staff would meet with Toyota officials on Wednesday following the automaker's decision to suspend U.S. sales of eight of its vehicle models, including the Camry, the best-selling car in the United States. The company is also halting production at assembly lines at six North American car plants, beginning the week of Feb. 1.</p>

<p>"We want to find out what Toyota knows about the <a href="http://www.moseleycollins.com/lawyer-attorney-1245039.html">sudden acceleration problem </a>with several of their vehicles and we want to know what will be done to protect consumers who are currently driving those vehicles," Stupak said in a statement. </p>

<p>Stupak is a senior member on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which held high-profile hearings and pushed for new auto safety requirements following the massive recall of Firestone tires in 2000. Congress approved legislation requiring automakers and other manufacturers to provide data on deaths, injuries, consumer complaints, property damage and warranty claims.</p>

<p>Toyota issued a recall last week for the same eight models involving 2.3 million vehicles. It followed a separate recall of 4.2 million vehicles last year because of problems with gas pedals becoming trapped under floor mats, causing sudden acceleration. That problem was the cause of several crashes, including some fatalities. About 1.7 million vehicles fall under both recalls.</p>]]>
        <![CDATA[<p>The Obama administration said it pressed Toyota to protect consumers who own vehicles under recall and to stop building new cars with the problem.</p>

<p>Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood told WGN Radio in Chicago that "the reason Toyota decided to do the recall and to stop manufacturing was because we asked them to."</p>

<p>David Strickland, the administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, told reporters in Washington that the Transportation Department had been in regular communication with Toyota about the recall. He said the company's decision to stop selling the vehicles was "an aggressive one and one that is the legal and morally correct thing to do."</p>

<p>"Toyota was complying with the law. They consulted with the agency. We informed them of the obligation and they complied," Strickland said. Strickland wouldn't address why Toyota failed to stop selling the vehicles five days earlier when it announced the recall. </p>

<p>For more information you are welcome to <a href="http://www.moseleycollins.com/index.html">contact Sacramento personal injury lawyer</a>, Moseley Collins.	</p>]]>
    </content>
</entry>
<entry>
    <title>Kaiser-Permanente Sacramento Employee Files Wrongful Termination Action, Part 3 of 11</title>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.sacramentopersonalinjurylawyerblog.com/2010/02/part_3_of_11_1.html" />
    <link rel="service.edit" type="application/atom+xml" href="http://www.sacramentopersonalinjurylawyerblog.com/cgi-bin/mt-atom.cgi/weblog/blog_id=412/entry_id=66916" title="Kaiser-Permanente Sacramento Employee Files Wrongful Termination Action, Part 3 of 11" />
    <id>tag:www.sacramentopersonalinjurylawyerblog.com,2010://412.66916</id>
    
    <published>2010-02-06T15:16:22Z</published>
    <updated>2010-02-06T20:36:01Z</updated>
    
    <summary>(Please note: the names and locations of all parties have been changed to protect the confidentiality of the participants in this employment discrimination/personal injury case and its proceedings.) Unfortunately for Kaiser&apos;s defense, there is no policy against, or harm caused...</summary>
    <author>
        <name>Moseley Collins </name>
        <uri>http://www.moseleycollins.com</uri>
    </author>
            <category term="Workplace Discrimination/Sexual Harassment" />
    
    <content type="html" xml:lang="en" xml:base="http://www.sacramentopersonalinjurylawyerblog.com/">
        <![CDATA[<p>(Please note: the names and locations of all parties have been changed to protect the confidentiality of the participants in this employment discrimination/personal injury case and its proceedings.)</p>

<p>Unfortunately for Kaiser's defense, there is no policy against, or <a href="http://www.moseleycollins.com/lawyer-attorney-1245027.html">harm caused by, printing a draft work-related memorandum</a> from her supervisor's screen:</p>

<p>1) Kaiser's Principles of Responsibility contain no language that would preclude Ms. Church from printing a letter about her that was publicly visible in an open cubicle and bringing that letter to Kaiser's Chief Operating Officer.</p>

<p>2) Ms. Church's act of printing the letter about her could not, in any way, violate Richard White's right to privacy. Mr. White has no cognizable right to privacy with regard to a work related correspondence about someone else. In fact, Kaiser's own Principles of Responsibility and Electronic Assets Usage policy make it clear that employee privacy does not extend to <a href="http://www.moseleycollins.com/lawyer-attorney-1417745.html">conduct in the work place </a>or to the use of Kaiser Permanente's assets.</p>

<p>3) There is nothing in Kaiser's Electronic Usage Policy that precluded Ms. Church from printing a visible document about her and taking it to the Chief Operating Officer of the hospital.</p>

<p>The violations of Kaiser's Electronic Usage Policy were by Richard White:<br />
a. He failed to prevent access to his computer.</p>

<p>b. He failed to "avoid leaving...business information open/accessible by employing password-activated screen savers." </p>

<p>And, yet, Mr. White received no discipline whatsoever. Interestingly, Kaiser's Electronic Assets Usage policy also states  Users who identify security issues should report them immediately.  In Ms. Church's case, that line should be followed by:  "...and subsequently be terminated."  (See Part 4 of 11.) <br />
</p>]]>
        <![CDATA[<p>For more information you are welcome to <a href="http://www.moseleycollins.com/index.html">contact Sacramento personal injury lawyer</a>, Moseley Collins.</p>]]>
    </content>
</entry>
<entry>
    <title>Kaiser Sued By Sacramento Employee, Part 2 of 11</title>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.sacramentopersonalinjurylawyerblog.com/2010/02/part_2_of_11.html" />
    <link rel="service.edit" type="application/atom+xml" href="http://www.sacramentopersonalinjurylawyerblog.com/cgi-bin/mt-atom.cgi/weblog/blog_id=412/entry_id=66915" title="Kaiser Sued By Sacramento Employee, Part 2 of 11" />
    <id>tag:www.sacramentopersonalinjurylawyerblog.com,2010://412.66915</id>
    
    <published>2010-02-04T15:37:30Z</published>
    <updated>2010-02-04T15:40:06Z</updated>
    
    <summary>(Please note: the names and locations of all parties have been changed to protect the confidentiality of the participants in this employment discrimination/personal injury case and its proceedings.) WRONGFUL TERMINATION IN VIOLATION OF PUBLIC POLICY AND VIOLATION OF LABOR CODE...</summary>
    <author>
        <name>Moseley Collins </name>
        <uri>http://www.moseleycollins.com</uri>
    </author>
            <category term="Workplace Discrimination/Sexual Harassment" />
    
    <content type="html" xml:lang="en" xml:base="http://www.sacramentopersonalinjurylawyerblog.com/">
        <![CDATA[<p>(Please note: the names and locations of all parties have been changed to protect the confidentiality of the participants in this employment discrimination/personal injury case and its proceedings.)</p>

<p>WRONGFUL TERMINATION IN VIOLATION OF PUBLIC POLICY AND VIOLATION OF LABOR CODE SECTION 6310 (AND HEALTH AND SAFETY CODE SECTION 1278.5)</p>

<p>Kaiser has filed a Motion for Summary Judgment on all claims, including the major claim for <a href="http://www.moseleycollins.com/lawyer-attorney-1417745.html">Wrongful Termination</a> in Violation of Public Policy. For settlement purposes, it is important to recognize that Kaiser cannot win summary judgment or summary adjudication on this claim because of the existence of disputed issues of material fact, as well as Kaiser's incorrect interpretation of the law.</p>

<p>The pretextual reason given for Ms. Church's termination was her printing of a memorandum, addressed to her and publicly viewable on her supervisor's computer screen, regarding discipline which her supervisor, Richard White, apparently intended to impose in <a href="http://www.moseleycollins.com/lawyer-attorney-1245027.html">retaliation for her frequent complaints</a> about the incompetence of Kaiser management and Kaiser's many continuing safety and OSHA violations. At Ms. Church's termination "hearing,"  Mr. White also falsely claimed that Ms. Church had accessed his Lotus Notes account and printed other documents from his work computer.</p>

<p>Ms. Church's termination letter referred to the following reasons for her termination: Violation of the Principle of Responsibilities, breach of confidentiality, invasion of privacy and violation of KP computer assets. These should have been the reasons for Mr. White's termination. Ms. Church printed the draft disciplinary memorandum and brought it to COO Stan Brown because of her concern that Richard White had left it visible on his screen in an open cubicle for everyone to see, thereby violating her privacy rights as an employee. </p>]]>
        <![CDATA[<p>The act of leaving the draft disciplinary memorandum visible for everyone to see violated Kaiser's Principles of Responsibility, breached Ms. Church's right to confidentiality of her personnel records, violated her right to privacy, and was a violation of Kaiser's Electronic Assets Usage policy. Instead of properly discharging Richard White for his multiple violations of policy, Kaiser, in violation of its own anti-retaliation policy, retaliated against Ms. Church for complaining about Mr. White's egregious violation of her confidentiality and privacy and terminated her instead.  (See Part 3 of 11.)</p>

<p>For more information you are welcome to <a href="http://www.moseleycollins.com/index.html">contact Sacramento personal injury lawyer</a>, Moseley Collins.</p>]]>
    </content>
</entry>
<entry>
    <title>Sacramento Woman Sues Kaiser For Wrongful Termination, Part 1 of 11</title>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.sacramentopersonalinjurylawyerblog.com/2010/02/part_1_of_11.html" />
    <link rel="service.edit" type="application/atom+xml" href="http://www.sacramentopersonalinjurylawyerblog.com/cgi-bin/mt-atom.cgi/weblog/blog_id=412/entry_id=66910" title="Sacramento Woman Sues Kaiser For Wrongful Termination, Part 1 of 11" />
    <id>tag:www.sacramentopersonalinjurylawyerblog.com,2010://412.66910</id>
    
    <published>2010-02-02T15:28:20Z</published>
    <updated>2010-02-02T15:32:08Z</updated>
    
    <summary>(Please note: the names and locations of all parties have been changed to protect the confidentiality of the participants in this employment discrimination/personal injury case and its proceedings.) Plaintiff&apos;s Mandatory Settlement Conference Statement Plaintiff Miranda Church, a Workplace Safety Specialist...</summary>
    <author>
        <name>Moseley Collins </name>
        <uri>http://www.moseleycollins.com</uri>
    </author>
            <category term="Workplace Discrimination/Sexual Harassment" />
    
    <content type="html" xml:lang="en" xml:base="http://www.sacramentopersonalinjurylawyerblog.com/">
        <![CDATA[<p>(Please note: the names and locations of all parties have been changed to protect the confidentiality of the participants in this employment discrimination/personal injury case and its proceedings.)</p>

<p>Plaintiff's Mandatory Settlement Conference Statement</p>

<p>Plaintiff Miranda Church, a Workplace Safety Specialist employed at Kaiser Foundation Hospital, was <a href="http://www.moseleycollins.com/lawyer-attorney-1417745.html">wrongfully terminated </a>on January 10, 2006, in violation of public policy and Kaiser's own employment policies. Prior to her termination, Ms. Church was treated in an abusive and discriminatory manner by her quasi-manager, David Black, and was underpaid compared to her male counterpart at another hospital within Kaiser's Sacramento group. At the time of her termination, Kaiser failed to return personal property to her and, despite further requests, continued to keep her personal property. To compound its injuries to Ms. Church, her former supervisor has made false statements which <a href="http://www.moseleycollins.com/lawyer-attorney-1417745.html">wrongfully prevented </a>Ms. Church from obtaining subsequent employment.</p>

<p>It is plaintiff's position that, for statutory and regulatory reasons, Kaiser is obligated to follow its policies in terminating individuals who have otherwise made complaints about Kaiser's misfeasance, malfeasance, and nonfeasance.  In Ms. Church's case, Kaiser failed to properly follow its own policies...miserably. Not only did Kaiser terminate the wrong person involved in the incident described below, but, in terminating Ms. Church, Kaiser failed to:</p>

<p>1) Provide any rule, guideline or policy which would indicate that the act was an offense subject to discipline or termination.</p>

<p>2) Provide any oral warning prior to termination.</p>]]>
        <![CDATA[<p>3) Provide any written warning prior to termination.</p>

<p>4) Determine the actual severity of the alleged violation, determine any harm to the affected employee, or determine if there was any personal gain sought by Ms. Church.</p>

<p>Subsequently, after Ms. Church made a complaint about her unwarranted termination to the  Compliance Hotline,  an utterly biased entity pretending to be neutral but controlled by Kaiser, the investigator failed to investigate Ms Church's actual complaints and, instead, white-washed the incident after a remarkably cursory investigation.</p>

<p>Most importantly, the person who terminated Ms. Church, Richard White, contradicted himself regarding the reason for Ms. Church's termination. Initially he claimed that the reason was her printing of the document from his computer screen; later he claimed it was because she couldn't get along with anyone.  (See Part 2 of 11.)</p>

<p>For more information you are welcome to <a href="http://www.moseleycollins.com/index.html">contact Sacramento personal injury lawyer</a>, Moseley Collins.</p>]]>
    </content>
</entry>
<entry>
    <title>Sacramento Elder Abuse Case Filed Against Multiple Healthcare Providers, Part 4 of 4</title>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.sacramentopersonalinjurylawyerblog.com/2010/01/part_4_of.html" />
    <link rel="service.edit" type="application/atom+xml" href="http://www.sacramentopersonalinjurylawyerblog.com/cgi-bin/mt-atom.cgi/weblog/blog_id=412/entry_id=63984" title="Sacramento Elder Abuse Case Filed Against Multiple Healthcare Providers, Part 4 of 4" />
    <id>tag:www.sacramentopersonalinjurylawyerblog.com,2010://412.63984</id>
    
    <published>2010-01-30T15:23:03Z</published>
    <updated>2010-01-30T15:30:24Z</updated>
    
    <summary>(Please note: the names and locations of all parties have been changed to protect the confidentiality of the participants in this elder abuse/personal injury case and its proceedings.) DEFENDANTS ARE NOT PREJUDICED IF THE TRIAL COURT GRANTS PLAINTIFF&apos;S MOTION TO...</summary>
    <author>
        <name>Moseley Collins </name>
        <uri>http://www.moseleycollins.com</uri>
    </author>
            <category term="Elder Abuse" />
    
    <content type="html" xml:lang="en" xml:base="http://www.sacramentopersonalinjurylawyerblog.com/">
        <![CDATA[<p>(Please note: the names and locations of all parties have been changed to protect the confidentiality of the participants in this elder abuse/personal injury case and its proceedings.)</p>

<p>DEFENDANTS ARE NOT PREJUDICED IF THE TRIAL COURT GRANTS PLAINTIFF'S MOTION TO AMEND ACCORDING TO PROOF AT TRIAL.</p>

<p>In exercising its broad discretion, the court is guided by whether the opposing party will be prejudiced by the amendment. City of Stanton v. Cox (1989) 207 Cal.App.3d 1557, 1563.</p>

<p>The Defendants will not be prejudiced if the trial court were to grant Plaintiff's Motion to Amend According to Proof at Trial, as the Defendants have been placed on notice of Plaintiff's elder abuse contentions as to both Dr. Green and Dr. Black as set forth in Plaintiff's Complaint, First Amended Complaint, and Second Amended Complaint.</p>

<p>This case was filed on September 22, 2006, wherein the Plaintiff had asserted a cause of action against Dr. Green and Dr. Black for <a href="http://www.moseleycollins.com/lawyer-attorney-1245027.html">Elder Abuse </a>and Willful Misconduct. Defendants' Demurrer and Motion to Strike Plaintiff's Second Amended Complaint was not heard and ruled upon until September 4, 2007. Therefore, the Defendants had one year to conduct discovery on Plaintiff's contentions for Elder Abuse and Willful Misconduct.</p>

<p>Further, the Defendants have been provided all of Dr. Brown's opinions regarding Dr. Green and Dr. Black, including his opinions on elder abuse relating to the two defendants.</p>

<p>The Plaintiffs have made their intentions clear to the Defendants immediately after the deposition of Dr. Brown that based on Dr. Brown's deposition testimony, the Plaintiffs intended to request the Trial Court to amend Plaintiff's operative complaint to include a cause of action for <a href="http://www.moseleycollins.com/lawyer-attorney-1245035.html">Elder Abuse and Willful Misconduct </a>against Defendants Dr. Green and Dr. Black and to include a prayer for punitive damages according to proof. </p>]]>
        <![CDATA[<p>Based on the above, the Defendants cannot claim that they have been  sand bagged  or would be prejudice in any way, as they have known from the initial filing that Plaintiffs had asserted a claim for Elder Abuse and Willful Misconduct against the Defendants and have been provided all facts, contentions, and expert testimony on this issue.</p>

<p>CONCLUSION</p>

<p>As there has not been a final judgment on Plaintiff's cause of action for Elder Abuse and Willful Misconduct against Dr. Green and Dr. Black, and given the opinions of Plaintiff's medical expert supporting a finding of Elder Abuse and Willful Misconduct, the Plaintiffs respectfully request that the trial court deny Defendants' Motion in Limine No. 1 and allow the Plaintiff's expert, Dr. Peter Brown, to testify on his opinions for Elder Abuse and Willful Misconduct against the Defendants.</p>

<p>For more information you are welcome to <a href="http://www.moseleycollins.com/index.html">contact Sacramento personal injury lawyer</a>, Moseley Collins.	</p>]]>
    </content>
</entry>
<entry>
    <title>Sacramento Doctors&apos; Malpractice And Elder Abuse Case Goes To Trial, Part 3 of 4</title>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.sacramentopersonalinjurylawyerblog.com/2010/01/part_3_of_4_1.html" />
    <link rel="service.edit" type="application/atom+xml" href="http://www.sacramentopersonalinjurylawyerblog.com/cgi-bin/mt-atom.cgi/weblog/blog_id=412/entry_id=63983" title="Sacramento Doctors' Malpractice And Elder Abuse Case Goes To Trial, Part 3 of 4" />
    <id>tag:www.sacramentopersonalinjurylawyerblog.com,2010://412.63983</id>
    
    <published>2010-01-27T15:15:46Z</published>
    <updated>2010-01-27T15:18:12Z</updated>
    
    <summary>(Please note: the names and locations of all parties have been changed to protect the confidentiality of the participants in this elder abuse/personal injury case and its proceedings.) Based on the above conduct, in Dr. Brown&apos;s opinion, Dr. Black committed...</summary>
    <author>
        <name>Moseley Collins </name>
        <uri>http://www.moseleycollins.com</uri>
    </author>
            <category term="Elder Abuse" />
    
    <content type="html" xml:lang="en" xml:base="http://www.sacramentopersonalinjurylawyerblog.com/">
        <![CDATA[<p>(Please note: the names and locations of all parties have been changed to protect the confidentiality of the participants in this elder abuse/personal injury case and its proceedings.)</p>

<p>Based on the above conduct, in Dr. Brown's opinion, Dr. Black committed <a href="http://www.moseleycollins.com/lawyer-attorney-1245035.html">elder abuse</a>, and testifies as follows:</p>

<p>Q: Okay. Other than the failure to adequatley monitor, as you've characterized it, the scrotal condition, are you critical of Dr. Black for any other aspect of his care of this patient that you believe fell below the standard of care?</p>

<p>A: Well, in Dr. Black's case, to be honest with you, I don't feel that he just fell below the standard of care. I know there are legal terms for <a href="http://www.moseleycollins.com/lawyer-attorney-1245027.html">elder abuse</a>. I'm aware of what those terms are, in terms of a conscious, you know, disregard for the patient, his care and safety. And, honestly, I really think that this does fall under that category.</p>

<p>And I don't say that lightly; I'm a doctor myself. But the thing that troubles me is that Dr. Black, unlike Dr. Green - Dr. Black actually did look at the man's scrotum and was aware that there was a problem there, and yet he sat on that problem for several days, and then sat on it for an additional five days, even after requesting urology consultation.<br />
So, to me, it showed a - just an extreme deviation from the standard of care that would fall into the elder abuse category, if you're going to use a legal term for it.  </p>

<p>That's my - - what claims are being made and not made, I'll leave that to you folks. But I know there are issues of elder abuse here, and what I had told Mr. Moran was that if there was a case where elder abuse would be applicable, it would certainly be with Dr. Black's care in this case.  </p>

<p><br />
</p>]]>
        <![CDATA[<p>Based on the deposition of Dr. Brown, the Trial Court, in furtherance of justice, should allow the Plaintiffs to submit evidence and expert testimony regarding the Defendant's culpability for Elder Abuse and Willful Misconduct.  (See Part 4 of 4.)</p>

<p>For more information you are welcome to <a href="http://www.moseleycollins.com/index.html">contact Sacramento personal injury lawyer</a>, Moseley Collins.	</p>]]>
    </content>
</entry>
<entry>
    <title>Sacramento Man&apos;s Elder Abuse Expert Challenged At Trial, Part 2 of 4</title>
    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.sacramentopersonalinjurylawyerblog.com/2010/01/part_2_of_4_1.html" />
    <link rel="service.edit" type="application/atom+xml" href="http://www.sacramentopersonalinjurylawyerblog.com/cgi-bin/mt-atom.cgi/weblog/blog_id=412/entry_id=63982" title="Sacramento Man's Elder Abuse Expert Challenged At Trial, Part 2 of 4" />
    <id>tag:www.sacramentopersonalinjurylawyerblog.com,2010://412.63982</id>
    
    <published>2010-01-25T15:03:59Z</published>
    <updated>2010-01-25T15:09:21Z</updated>
    
    <summary>(Please note: the names and locations of all parties have been changed to protect the confidentiality of the participants in this elder abuse/personal injury case and its proceedings.) MOTION FOR LEAVE TO AMEND TO CONFORM TO PROOF MAY BE MADE...</summary>
    <author>
        <name>Moseley Collins </name>
        <uri>http://www.moseleycollins.com</uri>
    </author>
            <category term="Elder Abuse" />
    
    <content type="html" xml:lang="en" xml:base="http://www.sacramentopersonalinjurylawyerblog.com/">
        <![CDATA[<p>(Please note: the names and locations of all parties have been changed to protect the confidentiality of the participants in this elder abuse/personal injury case and its proceedings.)</p>

<p>MOTION FOR LEAVE TO AMEND TO CONFORM TO PROOF MAY BE MADE AT ANY TIME DURING TRIAL.</p>

<p>A motion for leave to amend to conform to proof may be made at any time during trial, so long as a judgment has not yet been entered. Union Bank v. Wendland (1976) 54 Cal.App.3d 393, 400-401.</p>

<p>The statutes authorizing amendment of pleadings are construed liberally so that cases might be tried upon their merits in one trial where no prejudice to the opposing party or parties is demonstrated. Rainer v. Community Mem. Hosp. (1971) 18 Cal.App.3d 240, 254. There is a policy of great liberality in permitting amendments to the pleadings at any stage of the proceeding. Berman v. Bromberg (1997) 56 Cal.App.4th 936, 945. This liberal policy applies even to amendments requested during trial. However, the matter rests in the trial court's sound discretion and is subject to appellate review only for abuse of discretion. Consilidated World Investments, Inc. v. Lido Preferred, Ltd. (1992) 9 Cal.App.4th 373, 383.</p>

<p>Dr. Brown testified in his deposition that Dr. Black <a href="http://www.moseleycollins.com/lawyer-attorney-1245035.html">failed to adequately monitor </a>Mr. Hernandez during his admission at East Los Angeles Doctor's Hospital, which <a href="http://www.moseleycollins.com/lawyer-attorney-1245027.html">led to delayed definitive treatment </a>of Mr. Hernandez's scrotal cellulitis, which ultimately became an abscess. He further testifies that Dr. Black was aware of Mr. Hernandez's scrotum, but didn't monitor it properly and waited for a very long period of time before requesting a urology consultation.  Mr. Hernandez was admitted into East Los Angeles Doctor's Hospital on January 3, 2006, but Dr. Black did not request a urology consultation until January 13, 2006.  </p>]]>
        <![CDATA[<p>There was further a substantial delay for treatment because Dr. Evans (the urologist) was out of town and unavailable.  Knowing that Dr. Evans was unavailable, Dr. Black did not seek another urologist and Mr. Hernandez was not seen by a urologist until January 18, 2006.  (See Part 3 04.)</p>

<p>For more information you are welcome to <a href="http://www.moseleycollins.com/index.html">contact Sacramento personal injury lawyer</a>, Moseley Collins.	</p>]]>
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