Wrongful Termination

Published on: January 25, 2012

California Wage & Hour Violations

By Brian Chase

There are several ways in which California workers can have their rights violated by employers in terms of work hours and pay. Each of these types of wage and hour violations involves a different type of legal remedy, so it is important, if you have been denied fair payment for your work, that you talk to a good personal injury lawyer who understands the laws regarding payments to employees.

One way your rights can be violated in terms of payment for work is if you are simply denied compensation altogether. An employer might ask you to work “off the clock,” and imply that if you do not you could lose your job. An example of this is when employers tell employees that they did not finish their work in a “timely manner” and must finish “on their own time.” However, it is against California employment law for any employer to require employees to work without compensation.

Another way your rights can be violated is by denying overtime compensation to you based on some classification the employer says you fall under. For example, a salaried employee might be denied overtime pay because she is not an “hourly” employee. However, a salary does not mean that an employer can legally require you to work longer hours for the same pay.
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Published on: August 25, 2010

Fatal Santa Barbara Personal Injury Accident Kills Three

By Brian Chase

A fatal Santa Barbara personal injury accident took the lives of Leonel Leon, 22, Lorena Guadalupe Tellez-Pacheco, and Jaciel Tellez, 8 on August 24, 2010. According to a report in the Santa Maria Times, the truck driver and owner of the big rig, Joaquin Garcia Morales, rented a trailer that he loaded with 26 tons of gravel. As he was driving down a hill on Highway 152, he lost his brakes. The out of control big rig truck eventually came to halt when it collided with a 1,000 square foot wooden home.

The small 50-year-old wooden home was flattened and three of the occupants suffered fatal injuries. One of the families occupants had left the home moments before the devastating big rig crash occurred. In the height of the crash response, there were nine engines, a latter truck, two search and rescue vehicles, a search dog and 10 chief officers.
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Published on: June 18, 2009

San Bernardino County Pedestrian Accident Kills One in Chino

By Brian Chase

Meiyun Kang, 82, was killed in a San Bernardino pedestrian accident the morning of June 16, 2009, the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin reports. The Chino pedestrian accident occurred when 76-year-old Mary Lemos, who was driving a 2003 Honda Accord west on Riverside Drive near Cypress Avenue, struck Kang. Chino police officials said Kang attempted to cross Riverside from the south side and was hit by Lemos. A witness apparently told police that Kang crossed the street outside of the crosswalk area. Kang was pronounced dead at the scene. Lemos was uninjured. If you have more information about this fatal San Bernardino County pedestrian accident, please call Chino police at 909-590-5571.

My heart goes out to the family and friends of Meiyun Kang. I offer my deepest sympathies to everyone who knew and loved Kang. Please keep them in your prayers.

According to California Highway Patrol’s 2007 Statewide Integrated Traffic Reporting System, there were three fatalities and 11 injuries involving pedestrian accidents in Chino. In San Bernardino County as a whole, 50 fatalities and 432 injuries were reported in 2007 as a result of pedestrian accidents.
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Published on: January 9, 2009

San Diego Mortuary Double-Sold Plots and Disrespected the Dead, Former Employee Says

By Brian Chase

A lawsuit from a former employee at Eternal Hills Cemetery and Mortuary accuses the mortuary of several disturbing practices including double-selling cemetery plots and permitting employees to look at deceased people whose bodies were brought in after horrendous accidents or suicides. The cemetery, which is the largest in Northern San Diego County, is owned by Houston-based Service Corp. International (SCI). Our source for this blog was this news report in the North County Times.

The former employee, Angela Maney-Sorrell, sued the company in October alleging that she was wrongfully terminated after pointing out problems at the funeral home. She had been an employee there for 21 years. Funeral home administrators have issued a statement saying that Maney-Sorrell is a “disgruntled employee” and have denied all the allegations.
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