Navigating — continued from Page 68


employee for different treatment than his/her peers. (Lagies v. Helen Copley (1980)110 Cal.App.3d 958, 974 [168


Cal.Rptr. 368] [allegations that plaintiff was “singled” out for denial of merit raises and suffered other work-related harassment satis-


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fied the outrageousness element of an IIED cause of action] (disapproved on other grounds in Brown v. Kelly Broadcasting Co. (1989) 48 Cal.3d 711 [257 Cal.Rptr. 708].)


The non-economic damages award is excessive Defense counsel will invariably argue


that the non-economic damages award (and often economic damages as well) is excessive. An arsenal of cases is available to plaintiffs to respond to that argument. The starting point is our Supreme Court’s recognition that “there is no fixed or absolute standard by which to compute the monetary value of emotional distress.” (Pool v. City of Oakland (1986) 42 Cal.3d 1051, 1068, fn. 17 [232 Cal.Rptr. 528] cita- tions omitted.) It has also held that the jury’s discretion in awarding such damages is “vast.” (Bertero v. National General Corp. (1974) 13 Cal.3d 43, 64, emphasis added.) Against that backdrop, defense coun-


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sel must show that the verdict is so large that, “at first blush, it shocks the conscience and suggests passion, prejudice or corrup- tion on the part of the jury.” (Seffert v. Los Angeles Transit Lines (1961) 56 Cal.2d 498, 506-507 [15 Cal.Rptr. 161, emphasis added); StreetScenes v. ITC Entertainment Group, Inc. (2002) 103 Cal.App.4th 233, 245 [126 Cal.Rptr.2d 754].) This showing is especially difficult where the damages are intangible, rather than out-of-pocket. Defendants often assert that to recov-


er non-economic damages, the emotional impact must be so severe that it caused plaintiff physical or psychological harm. But, yet again, defendants have cherry- picked especially egregious examples of emotional distress caused by harassment and wrongly implied that such extremes mark the minimum boundary of recover- able damages. One apt retort was supplied by the


U.S. Supreme Court in the analogous context of Title VII. The Court noted that: “[statutory protection] comes into play before the harassing conduct leads to a nervous breakdown.” (Harris v. Forklift Sys., Inc. (1993) 510 U.S. 17, 22 [114 S.Ct. 367], emphasis added.) Additionally, the Court reasoned that:


Define your case.


See Navigating, Page 72


(805)


EXPEDITED CA


EXPEDITED CASES ACCEPTED


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