Wendy Sun, a former employee at Toyota Motor Sales, Inc., (the American sales and marketing arm of Toyota Motor Corporation) who had been employed as a controller by the company for seven years and was terminated in 2006, has won a wrongful termination lawsuit and will be awarded more than $2.81 million by a jury in downtown Los Angeles.

Represented by Shegerian & Associates, a Santa Monica-based lawfirm specializing in employee rights, Sun sued alleging wrongful termination, pregnancy discrimination and violation of the Family Medical Leave Act, among other claims.

Attorney Carney Shegerian filed the lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court. As reported by the Daily Journal, the jury in the civil litigation ruled in favor of Sun with a verdict of $2,812,000, which consisted of $112,000 past economic damages, $555,000 for past non-economic damages, $150,000 for future non-economic damages, and $2 million in punitive damages.

During the trial, Sun testified that Toyota terminated her employment after she returned to work after her maternity leave. She also testified that despite paying for the immigration paperwork for spouses of its Japanese employees, Toyota refused to pay for Sun’s spouse, plaintiff Olivier Herbulot, allegedly because Sun is Chinese and not Japanese.

Sun and Herbulot chose to sue for discrimination due to pregnancy and retained Shegerian & Associates to handle her case.

Located in the City of Santa Monica, Shegerian & Associates is a law firm specifically focused on protecting the rights of employees who have been wronged by their employers. Richly experienced in labor and employment law and possessing an unparalleled success record as litigators, Shegerian & Associates is passionately dedicated to serving the needs of its clients.