Christian Petronelli

What does it take to obtain an $8.4 million verdict in an employment case with:

• Constructive termination
• No economic damages
• A short employment period
• A variety of alleged performance issues
• Prior trauma in the plaintiff’s history
• Conservative venue (Orange County Superior Court)

In Byer v. City of La Palma, the jury awarded $3.92 million in past and $4.48 million in future non-economic damages for race discrimination, retaliation, and failure to prevent discrimination and retaliation.

This one-hour lecture provides a step-by-step breakdown of how that result was achieved, utilizing resources available to anyone through TLU On Demand.

This lecture will discuss:

• Establishing liability through defense witnesses
• Neutralizing “performance issues” and reframing them as a pretext
• Humanizing the plaintiff through prior emotional trauma/distress
• Preparing and delivering an opening that sets the tone for liability and damages
• Structuring the retaliation timeline so escalation becomes undeniable
• Presenting non-economic damages in a way that feels justified and logical

Attendees will leave with a practical framework for trying employment cases that appear modest on paper—but contain significant verdict potential when properly developed.

If you want a concrete breakdown of how strategy, preparation, and disciplined storytelling produced an $8.4 million verdict, this session delivers it.