Jury Awards $345,000 to Franz Bakery Employee for Sexual Harassment  

A jury in Lane County reached a verdict in favor of Liz Carroll in claims against her employer, Franz Bakery, and her supervisor, Jason Bohrer. The jury awarded a total of $345,000 in non-economic damages—$250,000 against Franz Bakery and $95,000 against Bohrer. Bennett Hartman attorneys filed the lawsuit on behalf of Carroll in February 2024. […]

Court Approves $3.6 Million Class Action Wage Settlement

A judge in King County Superior Court approved the settlement of a class action wage claim brought by Bennett Hartman. The settlement affects more than 20,000 current and former employees of Fred Meyer in Washington State. Attorney Richard Myers filed the class action on behalf of a cake decorator who had wages missing from her […]

Jury Finds in Favor of Former Firefighter

A jury in Baker County awarded $200,000 in damages to a former firefighter. Attorney Richard Myers filed the lawsuit on behalf of Jason Bybee in 2023. Baker City employed Bybee as a firefighter and EMT when he contracted COVID-19 from a work exposure. Bybee developed Long COVID and was unable to return to his firefighter […]

Fred Meyer Employees Bring Class Action Wage Claims

Attorneys with Bennett Hartman filed class action lawsuits in Oregon and Washington on behalf of Fred Meyer employees who have been shorted wages since September 2022. The lawsuits allege that Fred Meyer violated wage statutes by knowingly implementing a faulty payroll system. Fred Meyer admits the new payroll system caused pay errors. However, it had […]

Court of Appeals Prohibits Aiding or Abetting Unlawful Employment Practices

The Oregon Court of Appeals issued an opinion in favor of a Bennett Hartman client that will enhance protections for workers in Oregon. Elisabeth Hernandez suffered a serious workplace injury in 2016. Her employer relied on a Colorado company, Reed Group, to manage the medical leave of its employees. Reed Group claimed to have expertise […]

Fair Dismissal Appeals Board Orders Reinstatement of Teacher

A school district  terminated a teacher who had been arrested for being under the influence and possession of a narcotic.   That arrest was prominently displayed in the local paper.    That teacher had excellent evaluations and there had never been any issues at work related to her substance abuse.   While the teacher successfully participated in a […]

Arbitrator Orders Reinstatement of Speech Language Pathologist

In this case, an Educational Service District terminated a well-respected speech language pathologist with no history of discipline for “theft of services.”   The dispute arose because the educator often worked away from her assigned work space, which is extremely noisy and distracting.  As a professional who had historically travelled from work site to work site, […]

Jurors Award Damages for Whistleblower Retaliation

A 12-person jury in Multnomah County found in favor of a Bennett Hartman client on a claim of whistleblower retaliation. Attorney Talia Stoessel filed the lawsuit on behalf of the worker. She tried the case to a jury with Attorney Richard Myers. After five days of testimony, the jury determined that the worker’s report of […]

Justice for Injured Worker

Attorney Richard Myers successfully represented an injured worker who was denied reemployment. The worker suffered a serious on-the-job injury and filed a workers’ compensation claim. Her claim was denied and the employer refused to restore her employment after she recovered from the injury. Myers represented the worker in a hearing on her workers’ compensation claim. […]