A Lane Powell team, led by Per Jansen, Krista Hardwick and Mike Reilly, obtained summary judgment dismissal on behalf of Safeway in a workplace discrimination lawsuit.
A grocery store meat manager filed suit against employer Safeway, claiming he was fired for seeking medical leave to treat his alcoholism.
Per Jansen argued the motion, proving that the employee was significantly underperforming and was issued a corrective action notice and suspension from his position prior to his request for medical leave. Not only did Safeway have documentation that indicated the employee was falsely claiming hours worked, not maintaining a sanitary workplace and wasting food, it also stated that the employee failed to return to work after the designated leave time.
Judge Thomas Rice of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington ruled in favor of Safeway, concluding that it had a legitimate, nondiscriminatory reason to fire the employee.