Update: The person who sued and won has had his name withheld after he requested it. He says that it makes it difficult for him to get jobs and as he won his suits, I will comply.
Will Bigham has more on this story, but as I understand it the genesis stems from a wrongful death complaint six years ago.
The current legal action stems from a July 2002 accidental death, when a
woman attending summer banking courses died from head injuries after falling -
or jumping, depending on the account - off the back of a maintenance truck
Helen Hosea, 40, and at least five other students at the Western
CUNA Management School were getting a ride back to their dormitories following a
night of drinking at Pomona's outdoor Sontag Greek Theatre, Smith said.
The driver, [Name withheld], was an equipment room manager and assistant
football coach at the college.
He was fired two weeks after the incident, [attorney Marilyn] Smith said.
Ms. Hosea's family sued and got $1.1 million. [Name withheld] also sued "the college for wrongful termination. That case was settled last year, Smith said. The settlement terms are confidential."
Another Pomona worker, Daniel Windau, witnessed the incident. After the settlement, he was terminated, so naturally Ms. Smith wants to sue Pomona again!
Look at this graff:
But within a month of the settlement with Hosea's family, the college began
writing him up for termination, Smith said.
Windau went on disability leave with back problems, and was fired one
day later, Smith said.
He has potential claims against the college for disability discrimination
and wrongful termination, Smith said.
Pomona College officials declined to comment on the issue.
Martin Wall, the attorney representing the college against [name withheld]'s claim,
said, "In my personal opinion, [name withheld] is just trying to harass the college."
[Name withheld] and Windau could not be reached for comment.
Nobody wants to talk about it. Can we say shakedown? Definitely time for tort reform...
