$2,950,000 Settlement – Happy Valley Conference Center, Inc. and Community of Christ – Retaliation, Sexual Harassment, Wrongful Termination

Our client, a maintenance supervisor, reported to his superiors that his Executive Director, an ordained minister in the Community of Christ, was sexually harassing her younger male subordinates. In response, the Happy Valley Conference Center and the Community of Christ subjected our client to a barrage of threats, intimidation, heightened scrutiny, and – three weeks later – terminated his employment.

On February 10, 2016, after a three-week trial in Santa Cruz, the jury found in our client’s favor on every single one of his claims and voted unanimously to award punitive damages against both defendants.

Verdict: $2,007,185 Total Judgment; $895,550.00 Jury Verdict ($120,550 economic; $275,000 non-economic; $500,000 punitive) plus labor code penalties, pre-judgment interest and awards of costs and attorney’s fees (1.5x)

Appeal: In December 2019, the Sixth District Court of Appeals affirmed the judgment in a published decision, with attorney fees, costs, and interest.

Mathews v. Happy Valley Conference Center, Inc. et al. (2019) 43 Cal.App.5th 236

The case ultimately settled for $2,950,000.

* Descriptions and summaries of prior cases and settlements found on this website are intended only to provide information about the activities and experience of our attorneys. They should not be understood as a guarantee or assurance of future success in any matter. The results portrayed depended on various facts, and circumstances unique to the particular cases described, and do not reflect the entire record of the individual attorney(s) involved. Past results are not a guarantee of future results, and the outcome of your particular case or matter cannot be predicted using a lawyer’s or law firm’s past results. Every case is unique and different and should be evaluated on its own merits, without comparison to other cases that may have had different facts and circumstances.