A recent decision from the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California granting summary judgment in favor of an employer despite evidence of protected whistleblowing is instructive. Han v. Pfizer (No. 23-cv-039080-AMO).
Background
The plaintiff, a compliance analytics employee, alleged that his former employer, a pharmaceutical company, retaliated against him after he internally reported suspected illegal activity and later reiterated those concerns while challenging a notice of underperformance from his supervisor. The employer ultimately terminated the plaintiff’s employment for performance-related reasons, and the plaintiff asserted claims under California Labor Code section 1102.5 (“Section 1102.5”) and related causes of action.
Ruling on Protected Activity and Reasons for Termination
In ruling on the employer’s motion for summary judgment, the court rejected the employer’s argument that the plaintiff had not engaged in protected activity simply because identifying… Read the complete article here...
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