Carney R. Shegerian, an employee rights attorney with Shegerian & Associates, Inc., a Santa Monica-based litigation law firm representing employees in discrimination, harassment and wrongful termination cases, won an appeal in favor of his client, David Derr, this week.

Derr, a former employee with the Kern County Fire Department, sued alleging harassment due to the sexual orientation of a family member. The judge overruled the claim initially, but on appeal this week, the judge’s decision was reversed and Shegerian & Associates are now free to pursue the claim on behalf of Derr. In his complaint, Derr, a fire fighter employed by Kern County for more than 29 years, and who has a gay family member, alleged that after asking his supervisor to stop making anti-gay remarks in the workplace, a series of discriminatory and harassing behavior ensued, making the workplace no longer tolerable for Derr.

“David Derr is an excellent example of a large segment of our employee population in the US that has been harassed in a place of work due to sexual orientation by association,” said Shegerian. “Hopefully this decision and the justice served in Mr. Derr`s case will put employers in the US on notice that they cannot discriminate against or harass their employees for any reason.”

An experienced trial attorney, Shegerian has tried many jury trials to verdict in both state and federal court, representing individuals that have suffered financial or emotional losses and have been wronged by employers, including major corporations. Shegerian has built a remarkable career on helping those who have been wronged in the workplace. He remains undefeated in federal jury trials and has won over 60 jury trials, including 23 seven figure verdicts representing employees.

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