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$6,000,000 Jury Award in CSU Gender Discrimination Lawsuit

Dr. Anissa Rogers Awarded $6 Million in CSU Gender Discrimination, Harassment, and Retaliation Lawsuit

Andrew H. Friedman, Anissa Rogers after $6 Million jury verdict in gender discrimination, harassment, retaliation lawsuit against CSU. In a precedent setting victory against California State University, Andrew H. Friedman and Courtney Abrams, in partnership with renowned lead trial attorney David M. deRubertis, obtained a $6 Million jury verdict on behalf of a former California State University, San Bernardino Associate Dean Anissa Rogers in a lawsuit entitled Clare Weber & Anissa Rogers v. Board of Trustees of the California State University (the State of California acting in its higher education capacity); Tomás Morales, an individual; and Jake Zhu, an individual (Los Angeles Superior Court Case No. 23STCV05549).
Dr. Rogers alleged in her lawsuit that, despite repeated reports by her and other employees (including both men and women) to multiple CSU officials that Defendant Jake Zhu (Dean of CSU, San Bernardino’s Palm Desert campus) was harassing and discriminating against female employees on account of their gender, CSU took no action whatsoever to remedy the situation. Instead, CSU constructively fired Dr. Rogers from her Associate Dean position.

The jury’s $6 million award is entirely for noneconomic damages, including compensation for emotional distress and the personal toll suffered by Dr. Rogers on account of workplace gender discrimination, harassment and retaliation. Dr. Rogers’ claims highlighted how the nation’s largest public university system, employing more than 56,000 people across 23 campuses, failed to enforce its own anti-harassment policies despite repeated internal warnings and public scandals.

“This case exposed what women inside Cal State have been saying for years: the mistreatment of women within the Cal State system is not just a series of one-off incidents; the problem is systemic and structural,” said Andrew H. Friedman of Helmer Friedman, LLP who represented Dr. Rogers. This verdict should serve as a loud message to CSU to clean up its act and take complaints of employment violations seriously,” Friedman added. “Cal State can no longer ignore the systemic twin problems of gender-based mistreatment and retaliation that is endemic. The jury saw the importance of holding this institution to account, and we’re very appreciative of that.”

Dr. Rogers’ lead trial lawyer, David M. deRubertis of The deRubertis Law Firm APC, argued the gender-based mistreatment of Dr. Rogers was an inevitable result after CSU San Bernardino ignored a 2015 “climate survey” that suggested a culture of fear, intimidation, gender-based mistreatment and bullying at Cal State San Bernardino and recommended adoption of an anti-bullying policy and an audit of HR practices and policies. At trial, CSU San Bernardino President Tomas Morales admitted that neither recommendation was implemented.

Courtney Abrams of Courtney Abrams, PC, who also represented Dr. Rogers, announced Monday following a multiweek trial overseen by LA County Superior Court Judge Maurice Leiter, that the jury verdict “represents a resounding rejection of CSU’s long-running denials of gender bias within its ranks. Dr. Rogers stood up not only for herself, but also the other women who have been subjected to gender-based double-standards within the Cal State system.”

Together, Friedman, Abrams, and deRubertis also represent Clare Weber, the former Vice Provost of Academic Affairs of CSU San Bernardino whose claims of gender pay equity, harassment based on gender and retaliation are expected to go to trial next year.

Read more at https://www.helmerfriedman.com/calstate-university-sued-for-gender-discrimination/

2025-10-21T12:02:40-08:00October 21st, 2025|Case Update, Front Page News, gender discrimination, Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress, Jury Award|Comments Off on $6,000,000 Jury Award in CSU Gender Discrimination Lawsuit
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PBA 2025 Labor & Employment Year in Review

Pasadena Bar Association Invites Andrew H. Friedman To Present “2025 Employment Law Year In Review”

PBA 2025 Employment Law Year in Review - Labor & Employment Section December 15, 2025.December 15, 2025 – Helmer Friedman LLP is pleased to announce that the Labor & Employment Section of the Pasadena Bar Association has invited Mr. Friedman to speak at an MCLE webinar entitled: “2025 Employment Law Year In Review.”

The Pasadena Bar describes the program: “2025 was another bumper year for employment law appellate decisions. This fast-paced panel will cover the top employment cases of the past year, including cases from the United States and California Supreme Courts, the Ninth Circuit, and California Courts of Appeal.”

Mr. Friedman is speaking along with Anthony J. Oncidi of Proskauer.

The MCLE program will take place on December 15, 2025, at 12:00 p.m. PST. For more information or to register, please visit https://pasadenabar.org/#!event/2025/12/15/labor-employment-section.

2025-10-29T11:10:08-08:00October 20th, 2025|Andrew Friedman, Labor & Employment Law, speaking engagements|Comments Off on PBA 2025 Labor & Employment Year in Review
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McDonnell Douglas: The End Is Near? by Andrew H. Friedman

California Labor & Employment Law Review Publishes Cover Article By Andrew H. Friedman

September 1, 2025 – Helmer Friedman LLP is pleased to announce that the California Labor & Employment Law Review has just published Andrew H. Friedman’s article – MCDONNELL DOUGLAS: THE END IS NEAR? – as the cover article for its September 2025 issue. Sadly, the McDonnell Douglas burden-shifting test, which was originally established to help plaintiff employees prove discrimination, has increasingly become an employer’s best friend enabling them to obtain summary judgment in so many clearly meritorious cases that even the conservative Justices believe that the time has come to end or, at least, curtail its use at summary judgment.This article explores the increasingly ostentatious charge by a duo of uber conservative Justices – Clarence Thomas and Neil M. Gorsuch – to reverse or dramatically curtail the use of the tripartite burden-shifting test first announced by the Supreme Court in McDonnell Douglas Corp. v. Green, 411 U.S. 792 (1973), for the most unlikely of reasons. Justices Thomas and Gorsuch contend that the McDonnell Douglas test is too employer-friendly because it not only “requires a plaintiff to prove too much at summary judgment” but also that it “fails to encompass the various ways in which a plaintiff could prove his claim.” In their dissent in Hittle v. City of Stockton, California, 145 S.Ct. 759, 759-764 (2025) (J. Thomas and J. Gorsuch, dissenting) and their concurrence in Ames v. Ohio Department of Youth Services, 145 S.Ct. 1540, 1548-1555 (2025)(J. Thomas and J. Gorsuch, concurring), Justices Thomas and Gorsuch also criticize the use of McDonnell Douglas on motions for summary judgment for a whole host of additional reasons:

  • McDonnell Douglas is not grounded in the text of Title VII or any other source of law – rather, it is a judicially manufactured doctrine and, as such, generates complexity and confusion which cause erroneous results.
  • McDonnell Douglas is incompatible with the summary-judgment standard set forth in Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 56.
  • McDonnell Douglas requires courts to draw and maintain artificial distinctions between direct and circumstantial evidence.

Commenting on the publication of his article, Mr. Friedman said: “Sadly, the McDonnell Douglas burden-shifting test, which was originally established to help plaintiff employees prove discrimination, has increasingly become an employer’s best friend enabling them to obtain summary judgment in so many clearly meritorious cases that even the conservative Justices believe that the time has come to end or, at least, curtail its use at summary judgment.”

If you enjoy Mr. Friedman’s article and you are not currently a member of the Labor and Employment Law Section of the California Lawyer’s Association, you should consider joining at https://calawyers.org/join-the-labor-and-employment-law-section/. As a member of the Labor and Employment Law Section, you will receive every issue of the California Labor and Employment Law Review – a leading resource for staying up-to-date on all the latest developments in Labor and Employment Law. You will also receive member only discounts not only to the Section’s live and ondemand webinars but also for the Section’s flagship programs including:

  • New Employment Practitioner Conference
  • Annual Public Sector Conference
  • Annual Labor and Employment Law Conference
  • Annual Advanced Wage and Hour Conference
  • Annual Advanced Mediation Conference
2025-09-02T09:37:30-08:00September 1st, 2025|Andrew Friedman, employment law publications|Comments Off on McDonnell Douglas: The End Is Near? by Andrew H. Friedman
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Andrew H. Friedman And Tony Oncidi To Present (in)Famous Annual Review

Andrew H. Friedman And Tony Oncidi To Present Their (in)Famous Annual Review At The 41st Labor And Employment Law Annual Conference Of The CLA Labor And Employment Law Section

Andrew Friedman and Tony Oncidi 41st Annual CLA update July 2025.

July 25, 2025 – Helmer Friedman LLP is very excited to announce that, once again, Andrew H. Friedman and his long-term speaking partner, Tony Oncidi of Proskauer Rose, will be presenting their Employment Law Year In Review on Friday, July 25, 2025 at the 41st Labor And Employment Law Annual Conference of the CLA Labor and Employment Law Section. The Labor and Employment Law Section describes their presentation as: “In this fast-paced presentation, Anthony J. Oncidi and Andrew H. Friedman will once again cover the top employment law cases from the past year, with an emphasis on the cases of greatest utility to employment law practitioners.”

For more information or to register, go to

Get Details & RegisterJuly 25, 2025 CLA Event

2025-07-30T08:39:04-08:00June 25th, 2025|Andrew Friedman|Comments Off on Andrew H. Friedman And Tony Oncidi To Present (in)Famous Annual Review
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Civil Cases Gone Wild

Andrew H. Friedman to Speak on Civil Cases Gone Wild

July 9, 2025 – Helmer Friedman LLP is pleased to announce that on Wednesday, July 9, 2025, Andrew H. Friedman will speak for The Rutter Group on a panel entitled Civil Cases Gone Wild: How to “Plan” for the Unexpected.

Mr. Friedman will be speaking with the Hon. Samantha P. Jessner. Judge Jessner was appointed to the Los Angeles Superior Court in 2007. She is the former Presiding Judge of the Court. She previously served as the Supervising Judge of the Civil Division, the Assistant Supervising Judge of the Civil Division, and the Supervising Judge of the Mental Health Courthouse. She also served in the Criminal Division. Judge Jessner also serves on the Supreme Court Committee on Judicial Ethics Opinions (“CJEO”) and the Executive Committee of CJEO and is the Vice-Chair of the Information Technology Advisory Committee and Civil and Small Claims Advisory Committee of the Judicial Council.

Michael D. Stein will moderate their discussion. Mr. Stein is a trial attorney and Tisdale & Nicholson, LLP partner in Los Angeles. A 1983 magna cum laude graduate from UCLA and 1987 graduate of Boalt Hall (U.C. Berkeley) Law School, Mr. Stein has represented clients in matters involving a multitude of subject areas including commercial contract, fraud/negligent misrepresentation, civil rights, landlord-tenant, FDIC insurance coverage, securities, unfair business practices, real estate, franchise agreements, mortgage banking, intellectual property/trade secret, legal malpractice, employment discrimination and construction defect. In a case that made headlines in the National Law Journal, Lawyers Weekly U.S.A., and The Los Angeles Daily Journal, Mr. Stein obtained one of the largest jury verdicts in San Bernardino Superior Court history, $9.9 million, on behalf of a young child severely shaken by a former daycare center operator.

The Rutter Group described their presentation as follows:

Benjamin Franklin once observed, “By failing to prepare you are preparing to fail.” While this maxim’s applicability to civil practice is undeniable, it is equally true that sometimes (in fact, almost always), the attorney’s case doesn’t quite go as planned. In this program designed for novice and experienced practitioners, the former Presiding Judge of the Los Angeles Superior Court and two experienced plaintiff and defense trial lawyers offer effective and ethical ways to deal with the unexpected based on hard-to-believe but true actual incidents during deposition and trial. Program highlights include:

 

The Deposition Bully
· Handling the obstinate opposing counsel
· When to suspend the deposition or seek immediate judicial assistance
· How not to become a bully when responding to a bully
The Unhinged Trial Witness
· Helping your witness get back on track
· Avoiding the temptation to argue with your opponent’s illogical answer
· Using your closing argument to capitalize on jury’s disdain for foolishness
The Jury at War
· Dealing with prospective juror misconduct during voir dire
· When and how to replace jurors during deliberations
· What to do when the jury’s “verdict” isn’t a verdict at all
The Unethical Adversary
· Preserving your client’s right to pursue a malicious prosecution claim
· Complying with the Rules of Professional Conduct’s reporting requirement
For more information about this program, go to https://www.theruttergroup.com/index.cfm?p=142

 

2025-06-25T10:33:10-08:00June 25th, 2025|Andrew Friedman, speaking engagements|Comments Off on Civil Cases Gone Wild
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Superior Court Success: Compel Arbitration Defeated

Courtney Abrams, Erin Kelly, Andrew Friedman, Superior Court Victory defeating compel arbitration.

Helmer Friedman LLP is thrilled to extend our heartfelt congratulations to our co-counsel, Erin Kelly, for her remarkable oral argument before the California Court of Appeal, Second Appellate District. Together, we achieved a significant victory at the Superior Court level, successfully defeating an employer’s motion to compel arbitration—a decision the employer has since appealed. Erin, alongside our talented team members, Courtney Abrams and Andrew H. Friedman, diligently prepared our opposition to this appeal, and we are feeling optimistic that the Second Appellate District will uphold the Superior Court’s ruling. If our hopes materialize, it will mark our fifth consecutive triumph in overcoming motions to compel arbitration, demonstrating our commitment to justice.

We are also excited by the momentum surrounding the Ending Forced Arbitration of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Act, which empowers employees to opt out of enforced arbitration in cases of harassment and assault. We strongly encourage Congress to support the Forced Arbitration Injustice Repeal Act. This critical legislation would prevent predispute arbitration agreements from being valid or enforceable in employment, consumer, antitrust, or civil rights disputes, paving the way for fairer outcomes. Let’s continue to advocate for justice together!

2025-06-25T09:01:15-08:00June 25th, 2025|Arbitration Agreement, Erin Kelly, Front Page News|Comments Off on Superior Court Success: Compel Arbitration Defeated
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Andrew H. Friedman Named to Elite List of the Top 100 Lawyers in Southern California

March 1, 2025 – Los Angeles – Helmer Friedman LLP is very pleased to announce that, out of the more than 100,000 attorneys in the Southern California area, the lawyer rating service Super Lawyers has named founding partner Andrew H. Friedman as a 2025 Top 100 Super Lawyer in Southern California. Commenting about Mr. Friedman’s selection to the Southern California Super Lawyers Top 100, Gregory D. Helmer said, “We couldn’t be prouder of this honor for our partner. Andrew has been named to the Top 100 since 2020 and his recognition is well-deserved.”

We couldn’t be prouder of this honor for our partner. Andrew has been named to the Top 100 since 2020 and his recognition is well-deserved.

Each year, Super Lawyers recognizes the Top 100 attorneys in Southern California via a patented multiphase selection process involving peer nomination, independent research and peer evaluation. Southern California lawyers who receive the highest point totals during this selection process are further recognized in Southern California Super Lawyers Top Lists.

“Recognition as a Top 100 Super Lawyer for 2025 is a huge honor,” Andrew H. Friedman said, “and I am quite thankful for the recognition and for the ability to represents employees and consumers who have been treated illegally by large corporate and governmental entities.”

Representing employees (both individual employees and class and collective actions comprised of multiple individuals), Andrew’s cases involve every variety of employment claim from harassment and discrimination to retaliation and whistle-blowing actions to wage and hour matters to religious and disability accommodation cases. Mr. Friedman not only litigates these cases but he has prevailed at trial in sexual harassment/retaliation and fraud and breach of contract cases including, with Tony Lewis of The Lewis Law Firm, a $4.1 Million jury verdict in the Los Angeles Superior Court.

Mr. Friedman has also prevailed in precedent-setting appeals, including serving as Counsel of Record in Lightfoot v. Cendant Mortgage Corp. et. al. (Case No. 10-56068) where he successfully convinced the U. S. Supreme Court to grant the petition for certiorari that he filed on behalf of his clients. In January 2017, the Supreme Court, in a unanimous decision authored by Justice Sotomayor, reversed the Ninth Circuit and ruled in favor of Mr. Friedman’s clients.

Recognition as a Top 100 Super Lawyer for 2025 is a huge honor,” Andrew H. Friedman said, “and I am quite thankful for the recognition and for the ability to represents employees and consumers who have been treated illegally by large corporate and governmental entities.

Mr. Friedman has received the highest possible rating from Martindale-Hubble, indicating that he is ranked at the highest level of professional excellence with “very high to preeminent legal ability” and “very high” ethical standards as established by confidential opinions from members of the Bar.

For multiple years, Chambers USA, the Nation’s leading legal data and analytics provider, has awarded Mr. Friedman with its highest possible rating (“Band 1”) for Labor & Employment – see https://chambers.com/lawyer/andrew-h-friedman-usa-5:25940936. According to a review published in Chambers USA, “Andrew Friedman of Helmer Friedman is recognized among peers for his work representing both individuals and classes in a variety of matters, ranging from harassment to wage and hour suits. ‘He’s an excellent plaintiff lawyer who offers a really good perspective.’”

Mr. Friedman is also widely acclaimed for writing the definitive employment law treatise – Litigating Employment Discrimination Cases (James Publishing – 2005 – 2025), https://jamespublishing.com/product/litigating-employment-discrimination-cases/ – which is widely used by practitioners from both the plaintiff and management sides of the employment law bar.

2025-03-12T07:37:11-08:00February 28th, 2025|employment law|Comments Off on Andrew H. Friedman Named to Elite List of the Top 100 Lawyers in Southern California
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Super Lawyers Names Gregory D. Helmer and Andrew H. Friedman as 2025 Super Lawyers

Andrew Friedman, Greg Helmer named Super Lawyer Top 100 2025.February 20, 2025 – Los Angeles – Helmer Friedman LLP is very pleased to announce that the lawyer rating service Super Lawyers has named founding partners Gregory D. Helmer and Andrew H. Friedman as 2025 Super Lawyers. Using its patented multiphase selection process (U.S. Pat. No. 8,412,564), Super Lawyers annually creates a comprehensive and diverse listing of the top 5% of attorneys in various practice areas, such as employment law. “It is a tremendous honor to have been once again named by Super Lawyers to its list of the top 5% of all of the labor and employment law attorneys in Southern California,” Gregory D. Helmer commented, “Super Lawyers has been recognizing us since 2006 and we couldn’t be prouder of this accomplishment.” “We are also very proud that two of our amazing co-counsel – Charles T. Mathews and Courtney Abrams – have also been recognized as 2025 Super Lawyers,” Andrew H. Friedman added.

2025-10-23T10:55:19-08:00February 25th, 2025|employment law, Front Page News|Comments Off on Super Lawyers Names Gregory D. Helmer and Andrew H. Friedman as 2025 Super Lawyers
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Consumer Attorneys Association for Southern California Publishes Article By Andrew H. Friedman

Andrew Friedman and Erin Kelly article published February 2025 Advocate Magazine.

February 1, 2025 – Helmer Friedman LLP congratulates partner Andrew H. Friedman and former Helmer Friedman LLP attorney Erin Kelly on the publication of their article – “The best and worst employment cases of 2024 – A BRIEF OVERVIEW OF THE CASES THAT SHAPED THE YEAR IN EMPLOYMENT LAW (WITH A BIT OF COLOR COMMENTARY) – in the Advocate Journal (a publication of the Consumer Attorneys Association for Southern California – February 2025).  Click here to read the article.

2025-02-11T11:08:52-08:00February 1st, 2025|Andrew Friedman, employment law publications, Erin Kelly|Comments Off on Consumer Attorneys Association for Southern California Publishes Article By Andrew H. Friedman
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California Lawyers Association Publishes Law Review Article Co-Authored by Andrew H. Friedman

Andrew H. Friedman, Ramit Mizrahi, Anthony J. Oncidi Author Article For the California Labor & Employment Law Review

January 1, 2025 – Andrew H. Friedman, Ramit Mizrahi (an employment law mediator with The Mizrahi Law Firm), and Anthony “Tony” J. Oncidi (a partner in and Co-Chair of the Labor and Employment Department of Proskauer Rose LLP – a defense-side employment law firm) have once again co-authored an article – THE TOP EMPLOYMENT CASES OF 2024 – for the California Lawyers Association and the California Labor & Employment Law Review. The article can be viewed here.

2025-08-21T10:17:28-08:00December 30th, 2024|Andrew Friedman, employment law publications|Comments Off on California Lawyers Association Publishes Law Review Article Co-Authored by Andrew H. Friedman
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