Mokler

Mokler v. County of Orange

Bad Law

157 Cal. App. 4th 121·2007 Cal. App. LEXIS 1933·68 Cal. Rptr. 3d 568·102 Fair Empl. Prac. Cas. (BNA) 500·27 I.E.R. Cas. (BNA) 241

Court of Appeal of CaliforniaNovember 26, 2007G036029California9,501 words

Opinion

Aronson, J.

Defendants County of Orange (County) and Chris Norby appeal from the trial court’s denial of their motion for judgment notwithstanding the verdict (JNOV) following a jury determination that the County terminated Pamela M. Mokler in violation of California’s whistleblower statute, Labor Code section 1102.5, and that Norby sexually harassed Mokler, creating a hostile work environment under the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), Government Code section 12900 et seq. Defendants contend the trial court erred because Mokler’s failure to exhaust her administrative remedies barred her from pursuing her retaliatory discharge claim. Defendants also challenge the sufficiency of the evidence to support her claims for retaliation and sexual harassment. Mokler appeals the trial court’s order granting the County a new trial on damages, conditioned on Mokler refusing a damage award remitted from approximately $1.6 million to $125,000. Mokler challenges the sufficiency of the evidence to support the trial court’s statement of reasons for overturning the jury’s damages verdict.

We conclude the County waived its exhaustion defense by failing to raise it before trial. We…

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Parties

PAMELA M. MOKLER
Plaintiff
COUNTY OF ORANGE
Defendant

Judges

Aronson

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