Christian Petronelli · Mitchel Vanderpool · George Moschopoulos
$8,400,000 Employment Verdict: “Reverse” Discrimination/Retaliation – Leveraging TLU to Achieve Seven-Figure Results
February 6, 2026 ||
On December 9, 2025, Plaintiff Ross Byer obtained an $8.4 million verdict against the City of La Palma for race discrimination, retaliation, and failure to prevent discrimination and retaliation. Ross, a White police officer, received a six-month evaluation rating him “meets expectations” in every category, but after being reassigned to a new sergeant, he was subjected to heightened scrutiny and discipline not imposed on his Korean partner. After Ross complained to management, the retaliation escalated, resulting in a negative annual evaluation that denied him a raise. Ross resigned the next day, which the jury found to be a constructive termination.
Despite a short employment period, disputed performance issues, prior personal trauma, and the absence of economic damages, the jury awarded $3.92 million in past and $4.48 million in future non-economic damages. This was Plaintiff’s counsel’s first first-chair jury trial, prepared using Trial Lawyers University training and methodology. Counsel relied on TLU On-Demand, TLU podcasts, and live instruction at TLU Beach, drawing on the teachings of Nick Rowley, Bob Simon, Sach Oliver, David DeRubertis, and others to develop a clear, confident trial strategy that proved decisive at trial.
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