November 5, 2013: Age Discrimination Trial Against Lawrence Livermore Lab To Begin In Alameda County Superior Court

OAKLAND, Calif., Nov. 1, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- After more than four years of intense litigation, the age discrimination claims of 5 of the 130 plaintiffs in Andrews, et. al. v. Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC, Case No. RG09453596 will be tried to a jury in Alameda County Superior Court, Department 20, before the Honorable Robert B. Freedman.  This is the second trial for these 5 plaintiffs.

In 2008, 430 permanent employees at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory were laid off shortly after the lab's privatization by Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC (LLNS), which is led by Bechtel Corporation, the multinational construction and engineering company based in San Francisco.  In May of 2009, 130 of those employees, represented by the law firm of Gwilliam, Ivary, Chiosso, Cavalli & Brewer, filed suit against LLNS for wrongful termination, breach of contract, age discrimination, and other individual claims.

The claims of the first five plaintiffs – Elaine Andrews, Marian Barraza, Mario Jimenez, Greg Olsen, and James Torrice – are being tried in two phases.  In the Phase I trial earlier this year, after a 2 month trial, a jury found that LLNS breached its contracts with the plaintiffs and awarded more than $2.7 million in damages for their economic loss.  In the Phase II trial, starting November 5, 2013, the jury will be asked to decide whether LLNS disproportionately laid off employees over the age of 40.  The plaintiffs are asking for non-economic damages for their emotional distress.

Contact:  Please feel free to contact Gary Gwilliam of Gwilliam, Ivary, Chiosso, Cavalli & Brewer for further comment at (510) 832-5411 ext. 233 or [email protected].

SOURCE The Law Firm of Gwilliam, Ivary, Chiosso, Cavalli & Brewer