Khdrlaryan v. Olympia Med. Ctr. (Summary)

WRONGFUL TERMINATION AND DEFAMATION

Khdrlaryan v. Olympia Med. Ctr., No. B243321 (Cal. Ct. App. Sept. 9, 2013)

The Court of Appeal of California affirmed a lower court’s grant of summary judgment in favor of a medical center, holding that a respiratory therapist’s claims of wrongful termination and defamation were dismissed without error. The court stated that the therapist’s wrongful termination claim did not properly allege that she raised any complaints about workplace safety. She could provide no evidence of instances in which she voiced her workplace safety concerns to coworkers or supervisors. With no issue of fact on which to base the wrongful termination claim, the appellate court held that the issue was properly dismissed by the trial court.

The appellate court also granted summary judgment on the defamation claim. The therapist admitted in her written statement that she briefly left a patient’s area before another respiratory therapist had arrived to replace her. This admission left no issue of fact as to the truth of the defamation statements. The appellate court held that the trial court properly ruled in favor of the medical center on this issue.