Bank must compensate employee, pay punitive damages and is liable for legal fees

LOS ANGELES, CA, USA, March 20, 2020 /EINPresswire.com/ -- A federal jury has found Wells Fargo maliciously and illegally fired
a bank employee in February 2015 over her medical disability, unanimously awarding Patricia
Samson $500,000 in punitive and compensatory damages.

Victor L. George, who represents Samson, seeks an additional $2.3 million in attorney’s fees
from Wells Fargo based on the plaintiff being the prevailing party in what may have been the
final jury verdict in Southern California courts, and arguably courts around the United States, for
the foreseeable future.

“We appreciate the jury’s dedication and thoughtful deliberation in providing justice for Patricia
as courtrooms and courthouses around them were literally shutting down because of the
coronavirus pandemic,” said George. “Justice delayed is justice denied. Access to justice
cannot stop. Our jurors hung in there under extraordinary circumstances.”

The jury found that Samson was a victim of disability-based discrimination when the bank
eliminated her position two months after her return from medical leave for endometriosis.
George presented evidence that management discussed her medical situation after she went on
her leave and decided to displace her within a week after she went on leave. However, she was
not told of her job termination until she returned from leave. After her leave began, evidence
showed an email with the subject line “Samson Displacement Conversation” where her
supervisor told his boss he wanted to “run an idea by you re: Patricia Samson,” according to
court records.

Before being able to tell her story to a jury, Samson won at the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of
Appeals, which overturned the district court’s summary judgment against Samson. The lower
court had dismissed her case entirely before being brought back to life by the appellate court. In
his closing argument, George cited the biblical figure Samson (Patricia Samson became the
warrior Samson), and the story of David versus Goliath, to highlight her bravery in standing up
to a “too big to fail” Wells Fargo. In contrast, the bank’s counsel, Sheppard Mullin, cross-
examined Samson on the witness stand and called her a fraud and a liar.

“I’m amazed at her ability to take on such a powerful force,” George said. “She remained in this
case to empower other workers who are discriminated against.”

George adds, “This verdict sends a powerful message to employers thinking they can terminate
workers who must take medical leave for any reason, including coronavirus and its effect on
employees and the repercussions to their families. You can’t fire them, and it’s highly likely a
jury will say you are malicious if you do.”

The case is Samson v. Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., (16-4839-GW-AGRx, decided March 13, 2020).

About the Law Offices of Victor L. George
The Law Offices of Victor L. George is a jury trial firm in the South Bay of Los Angeles
exclusively representing plaintiffs in high-stakes employment and catastrophic injury litigation
and jury trials. Founded in 1991, the Law Offices of Victor L. George has a long-tradition of
being one of the preeminent plaintiffs’-side trial firms in Southern California. Mr. George has
been nominated 11 of the past 15 years as Trial Lawyer of the Year for Los Angeles County and
is a 2019 recipient of Loyola Law School’s Champions of Justice award. For more information,
visit https://www.vgeorgelaw.com.

Brenda McGann
Newsroom PR
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