Court finds against Los Angeles-based Cordoba Corporation for disability discrimination, wrongful termination, failure to engage in the interactive process, failure to accommodate, and failure to prevent discrimination.

Los Angeles, CA -- (ReleaseWire) -- 12/10/2019 --John Quemada was a seven year employee of Cordoba Corporation, a construction management firm based out of Los Angeles. During his employment, Mr. Quemada suffered work-related injuries when he was forced to engage in manual labor, a practice in violation of Cordoba's own policies. After Mr. Quemada's doctor determined that he had suffered a permanent disability requiring modest accommodations, Cordoba terminated his employment. Cordoba Corporation neither engaged Mr. Quemada in the interactive process nor offered him any reasonable accommodations for his disabilities. Although during trial, Cordoba maintained that Mr. Quemada was a sub-par performing employee who quit his job, evidence showed that John Quemada was a good employee, and that Cordoba fired Mr. Quemada due to his disabilities and the need for reasonable accommodations. Cordoba repeatedly lied to cover-up its illegal conduct.

According to court documents, the jury awarded John Quemada $2,700,000, including $1,500,000 in punitive damages, against Cordoba Corporation for disability discrimination, wrongful termination, failure to engage in the interactive process, failure to accommodate, and failure to prevent discrimination. The award included $184,000 in economic damages for the two-year period that John Quemada was unable to find work after his termination.

The trial lasted five weeks before the Honorable Terry Green in Dept. 14, Los Angeles Superior Court. The matter was tried by Keith Griffin and Alexa Galloway from Girardi|Keese and Ebby Bakhtiar of Livingston Bakhtiar. Case number BC621735 was filed at Stanley Mosk - 111 North Hill Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012.