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Former employee files retaliation lawsuit against UCSF

On Feb. 12, a former employee at the University of California, San Francisco, sued the UC Board of Regents for discrimination. It is the third discrimination lawsuit filed by the plaintiff.

According to court documents, the plaintiff alleges that he has faced repeated retaliation for accusing the regents of discrimination during his employment at UCSF. He further claims that UCSF has denied him the total amount of disability compensation he is owed. In 2009, the plaintiff first sued the regents, accusing them of racial discrimination. However, a jury ruled against him in September 2011. A month later, the plaintiff was fired. In 2012, the plaintiff sued the regents for the second time, claiming that he was fired in retaliation for the racial discrimination lawsuit. He won that lawsuit and was awarded $50,000.

After leaving UCSF, the plaintiff began working at Children’s Hospital Oakland. The third lawsuit claims that his new employer began treating him differently after the hospital and UCSF entered merger talks. It also claims that his supervisor admitted that his poor treatment was linked to communications with UCSF. It further alleges that the hospital suddenly fired him in October 2012. Finally, the lawsuit claims that the plaintiff’s UCSF disability benefits were based on a lower salary than he actually earned, shorting him of a portion of his rightful benefits.

Employees are protected from workplace discrimination by state and federal laws. Examples of discrimination could include racial discrimination, sexual harassment, a hostile work environment and retaliation for speaking out. Employees who face such discrimination may wish to speak with an attorney about their legal options. It may be possible to file a lawsuit against the employer for damages.

Source: Daily Californian, “Former UCSF employee files 3rd discrimination lawsuit against UC regents,” Rishabh Nijhawan, Feb. 12, 2018