Patricia Hoffman v. Dignity Health D/B/a Mercy General Hospital

In February 2015, Partners Linda Miller Savitt and Jonathan S. Rosenberg and Associate Stephanie B. Kantor, obtained summary judgment in Hoffman v. Dignity Health d/b/a Mercy General Hospital (Sacramento Superior Court Case No. 34-2013-00143475-CU-WT-GDS). The plaintiff claimed that she was sexually harassed, wrongfully terminated in violation of Health & Safety Code Section 1278.5, and retaliated against for allegedly complaining about sexual harassment and hospital safety issues. She also claimed that Dignity Health interfered with her economic relations by making false statements to a prospective employer during her job search. The court dismissed the entire case, finding that the plaintiff was not sexually harassed and that she was terminated for a legitimate, non-pre-textual reason (for spraying a co-worker in the face with a syringe during a medical procedure). The court also found that the claim for interference with prospective economic relations lacked merit and was barred by the qualified privilege set forth in Civil Code Section 47(c).