Notable Results
The attorneys at Payton Employment Law, PC have recovered millions in settlements and judgments for their employee clients. Below are examples of the top results Chantal Payton and the attorneys at Payton Employment Law, PC have achieved on behalf of their clients:
HARASSMENT
$750,000
$750,000 settlement on behalf of a public employee who was subjected to egregious harassment based on his race, sexual orientation, and HIV status and retaliated against after he made protected complaints about the harassment internally to HR and externally to the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing.
WAGE & HOUR VIOLATIONS
$700,000
$700,000 + Private Attorney’s General Act (“PAGA”) Action settlement on behalf of a class of resident managers who contended they were subjected to violations of the California Labor Code and Business and Professions Code as a result of their employers failing to pay minimum and overtime wages for all hours worked, failing to provide uninterrupted meal and rest breaks, failing to provide accurate and itemized wage statements, failing to reimburse business expenses, and failing to pay all wages owed at termination
DISCRIMINATION & HARASSMENT
$600,000
$600,000 settlement on behalf of an Executive Vice President who was subjected to sex- and gender-based discrimination and harassment by her manager with a history of making disparaging comments that were sexist and outright offensive toward women. Her boss terminated her, disguising it as a “layoff” for financial reasons, and later hired two men to do the same job she was excelling at on her own.
WAGE & HOUR VIOLATIONS
$489,500
$489,500 Class Action settlement on behalf of a class of security officers who contended they were subjected to violations of the California Labor Code and Business and Professions Code as a result of their employers failing to pay minimum and overtime wages for all hours worked, failing to provide uninterrupted meal and rest breaks, failing to provide accurate and itemized wage statements, failing to reimburse business expenses, and failing to pay all wages owed at termination.
LABOR CODE & RETALIATION
$315,000
$315,000 settlement on behalf of an Operations and HR Manager who was retaliated against for speaking out against unlawful sick leave policies. Despite numerous complaints from his employees that he escalated to his manager and manager’s manager, he was told to ignore them and continue enforcing the illegal policy. When he refused, he was terminated with his employer citing false, pretextual reasons for his termination.
WAGE & DISABILITY
VIOLATIONS
$300,000
$300,000 settlement on behalf of multiple sales representatives who were subjected to disability discrimination and wage violations, including unpaid overtime wages and meal and rest break violations.
EMPLOYEE MISCLASSIFICATION &
RETALIATION
$290,000 settlement of claims for misclassification as overtime exempt, unpaid work time, missed meal and rest periods, and retaliation.
$290,000
WAGE & HOUR
VIOLATIONS
$262,500
$262,500 Class Action settlement on behalf of a class of restaurant workers who contended they were subjected to violations of the California Labor Code and Business and Professions Code by their employers failing to pay minimum and overtime wages for all hours worked, failing to pay split shift wages, failing to provide uninterrupted meal and rest breaks, failing to provide accurate and itemized wage statements, and failing to pay all wages owed at termination.
HARASSMENT
$230,000
$230,000 settlement on behalf of a public employee who contended she was subjected to harassment at work on the basis of her disability (client retained her position as part of the settlement and is still employed by the agency).
DISCRIMINATION
$200,000
$200,000 settlement on behalf of a breast-cancer survivor who alleged she was not permitted to return to work at a minimum-wage restaurant job after completing chemotherapy and undergoing a double mastectomy (total wage loss of less than $20,000).
EMPLOYEE MISCLASSIFICATION & UNPAID OVERTIME
$185,000 settlement on behalf of a Field Special Services Protection Agent who was improperly classified as an exempt employee and worked up to 24-hour shifts without proper overtime and double time compensation, or legally compliant breaks.
$185,000
HARASSMENT
$180,000
$180,000 settlement on behalf of an administrative employee of a non-profit who alleged that, subsequent to a consensual long-term sexual relationship with her supervisor, she was subjected to unwanted sexual advances by the same supervisor.
WAGE & HOUR VIOLATIONS
$175,000
$175,000 + settlement on behalf of a long-term employee who suffered a serious workplace injury that he contended was as a direct result of his employer’s failure to accommodate his disability and was subsequently denied the right to return to work because he required accommodations.
WAGE & HOUR
VIOLATIONS
$163,328.70 court judgment on behalf of an individual who contended he was not properly compensated for work he performed in relation to cleaning and security services.
$163,328.70
WAGE & HOUR VIOLATIONS
$160,000
$160,000 settlement on behalf of two physician assistants who were subjected to various Labor Code violations, including their employer’s failure to pay overtime compensation in accordance with the law and failure to provide legally compliant meal and rest breaks.
WAGE VIOLATIONS & RETALIATION
$150,000
$150,000 settlement on behalf of a sales account manager who was denied commissions and subsequently terminated in retaliation for his complaints about unpaid and untimely paid commissions.
HARASSMENT
$150,000
$150,000 settlement on behalf of a female sales manager who contended she was subjected to wage violations, gender-and national origin-based harassment in the workplace by her male dominated team, and subsequently was threatened with termination when she was unable to return to work from a leave of absence she required on behalf of a mental disability she developed as a result of the harassment.
HARASSMENT
$150,000
$150,000 settlement on behalf of two low-earning warehouse workers who contended they were subjected to race-based discrimination and harassment in the workplace.
DISCRIMINATION
$140,000
$140,000 settlement on behalf of three female employees with disabilities who alleged that they were discriminated against because of their gender and disability status and unlawfully denied overtime compensation.
EMPLOYEE MISCLASSIFICATION & UNPAID OVERTIME
$135,000 settlement on behalf of an Operations Supervisor who was improperly classified as an exempt employee. Despite being directed to work primarily on tasks that fell under an hourly position, he was paid a salary for two years and regularly worked grueling 17-hour shifts multiple times a week.
$135,000
WAGE & HOUR VIOLATIONS
$125,000
$125,000 Class Action settlement on behalf of a class of coaches that contended they were subjected to violations of the California Labor Code and Business and Professions Code as a result of their employers failing to pay minimum and overtime wages for all hours worked, failing to provide uninterrupted meal and rest breaks, failing to provide accurate and itemized wage statements, failing to reimburse business expenses, and failing to pay all wages owed at termination.
SEXUAL HARASSMENT & RETALIATION
$115,000
$115,000 settlement on behalf of a convenience store cashier who made a complaint to her supervisor about a coworker who sexually harassed her by subjecting her to unwanted touching. Despite having footage to back up her claims, our client's supervisor failed to take action and allowed the harassment to continue, and then terminated her employment after she complained about the harassment.
RETALIATION
$115,000
$115,000 settlement on behalf of a top-performing employee with glowing performance evaluations, who was wrongfully terminated within one week of requesting family leave protected under the California Family Rights Act.
DISCRIMINATION & RETALIATION
$110,000
$110,000 settlement on behalf of a department Vice President who was subjected to sex, gender, and age-based discrimination by her managers. The discrimination she faced was unacceptable and deeply rooted in the belief that women were less deserving of high-level positions. When our client stood up for herself and others, the company responded by terminating her employment in retaliation, and then ultimately replaced her with less qualified males.
DISCRIMINATION
$115,000
$115,000 settlement on behalf of a disabled veteran who contended he was subjected to discrimination on account of his prior military service and associated post-traumatic stress disorder.
DISCRIMINATION
$110,000
$110,000 settlement on behalf of a salesperson who was subjected to age discrimination and retaliation and various Labor Code violations, including his employer’s failure to reimburse business expenses and unlawfully deducting his wages.
HARASSMENT
$100,000
$100,000 + settlement on behalf of an experienced journeyman electrician who contended he was subjected to race-based harassment by his supervisors and subjected to wage violations during his employment, then suddenly terminated because of his race and protected activity.
WAGE & HOUR VIOLATIONS
$95,000 settlement on behalf of five employees who contended they were subjected to various wage violations resulting from their misclassification as independent contractors.
$95,000
DISCRIMINATION
$90,000
$90,000 settlement on behalf of two administrative workers who contended that they were discriminated against because of their disabilities and subjected to various Labor Code violations, including their employer's failure to pay them overtime compensation in accordance with the law and failure to provide legally compliant meal and rest breaks.
HARASSMENT
$85,000
$85,000 settlement on behalf of a Vice President of Marketing and Sales who alleged he was subjected to age-based harassment by his superior in the workplace and subsequently terminated from his employment because of his age and protected complaints.
DISCRIMINATION
$80,000
$80,000 settlement on behalf of a restaurant manager who contended that he was discriminated against because of his disability and subjected to various Labor Code violations, including his employer’s failure to pay him overtime compensation in accordance with the law and failure to provide legally compliant meal and rest breaks.
WHISTLEBLOWER RETALIATION
$75,000
$75,000 settlement on behalf of an engineer who contended that he was retaliated against for making protected complaints to his employer about unsafe work conditions and OSHA violations in the workplace.
DISCRIMINATION
$75,000
$75,000 settlement on behalf of a sales manager who contended he was subjected to race-based discrimination and retaliation.
WAGE & HOUR
VIOLATIONS
$75,000 settlement on behalf of an employee who contended she was not properly paid overtime in relation to her job as a housekeeper.
$75,000
DISCRIMINATION
$75,000
$75,000 settlement on behalf of three minimum wage-earning workers who contended they were subjected to race-based discrimination and harassment in the workplace.
WAGE & HOUR
VIOLATIONS
$70,000
$70,000 + settlement on behalf of an employee who contended his employer’s practice of paying him a fixed salary of $45,000 per year violated the California Labor Code’s requirements for overtime compensation based on the non-exempt nature of his work.
WAGE & HOUR VIOLATIONS
$70,000
$70,000 + judgment (inclusive of attorneys’ fees) on behalf of an individual who contended her employer had modified her time records to reduce the hours worked for which she was paid; underpayment at issue (prior to penalties) was contended to be less than $5,000.
WHISTLEBLOWER RETALIATION
$68,000 + settlement on behalf of a healthcare worker who alleged she was terminated from her employment because of her age and whistleblower activity.
$68,000
DISCRIMINATION
$60,000
$60,000 + settlement on behalf of an employee who alleged she was terminated from her employment because of her age.
WAGE & HOUR
VIOLATIONS
$60,000 settlement on behalf of an employee who contended he should have been permitted to return to work when he was instead terminated after a disabling back injury.
$60,000
HARASSMENT
$60,000
$60,000 settlement on behalf of a minimum wage-earning warehouse worker who contended she was subjected to sexual harassment in the workplace and subsequently terminated in response to her complaints about the harassment.
WAGE & HOUR
VIOLATIONS
$60,000
$60,000 settlement on behalf of a construction worker who contended he was subjected to ongoing wage violations and terminated from his employment after a serious workplace injury that caused him to develop a disability and require medical leave.
DISCRIMINATION
$52,500
$52,500 settlement on behalf of an employee of a medical institution who claimed the employer failed to accommodate her disability.
WAGE & HOUR VIOLATIONS
$52,500 settlement on behalf of a resident manager who contended she was subjected to numerous Labor Code violations, including unpaid minimum wages and overtime wages.
$52,500
DISCRIMINATION
$52,000
$52,000 settlement on behalf of a female construction worker who contended she suffered gender discrimination.
DISCRIMINATION
$50,000
$50,000 settlement on behalf of a female investment industry professional who alleged pregnancy-based discrimination in connection with a mass layoff.
WAGE & HOUR VIOLATIONS
$50,000
$50,000 settlement on behalf of a social worker who contended that he was retaliated against for making protected complaints to his employer about the company’s discrimination against minority foster parents.
WHISTLEBLOWER RETALIATION
$50,000
$50,000 settlement on behalf of a construction worker who contended that he was retaliated against for making protected complaints to his employer about safety issues and was not compensated for all on-call hours worked.
DISCRIMINATION
$48,000
$48,000 + settlement on behalf of an African American bookkeeper who contended she was harassed and discriminated against because of race and retaliated against after filing a discrimination complaint with the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (“DFEH”).
WAGE & HOUR
VIOLATIONS
$47,000 settlement on behalf of an employee who contended she was retaliated against for exercising her rights under the California Family Rights Act.
$47,000
The above list of settlements and judgments are examples of some of the top successes Chantal Payton and the attorneys at Payton Employment Law, PC have obtained. The above results are no indication or guarantee of future results as each case must be evaluated on its own merits.