FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 2022
Contact: Eric W. Boyer, Esq.
Managing Partner
305.670.1101 Ext. 1023
Email: eboyer@qpwblaw.com
TALLAHASSEE ATTORNEYS OBTAIN SUMMARY JUDGMENT IN
EMPLOYEE DISCRIMINATION CASE
Christopher D. Hastings
John S. Derr
John S. Derr and Christopher D. Hastings of the Tallahassee office recently obtained summary judgment in an employment law case in which the Plaintiff claimed she was terminated because of her disability, age, race and gender (female). The case was heavily litigated, with Plaintiff’s counsel pulling out every trick in the book including filing multiple motions to compel and for sanctions, none of which succeeded. Plaintiff’s counsel filed thousands of documents opposing the motion for summary judgment. The summary judgment is currently on appeal.
Plaintiff claimed she was perceived as disabled because she told her supervisor she intended to have prophylactic surgery because of her hereditary cancer risk. Plaintiff also claimed she was discriminated against based on her race (Caucasian) when her supervisor was out on FMLA leave and she had to report to her supervisor’s boss (an African-American male).
Through discovery, Mr. Hastings and Mr. Derr showed the plaintiff was, in fact, terminated because she took advantage of her supervisor’s absence to arrive late, leave early, and take extra time for lunch, all of which caused her to fail to perform an important project, and to be often absent when her help was sought to remedy her failure. Mr. Hastings successfully argued the motion in two separate extended hearings.
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John S. Derr is co-managing partner of QPWB’s Tallahassee office. Mr. Derr has devoted his practice of over 40 years to the areas of medical malpractice, private and public sector labor and employment law and insurance coverage and bad faith litigation. He has extensive experience advocating for clients and working with governmental agencies to resolve problems related to professional licensure issues. Over the years, he has tried cases to verdict in the fields of medical malpractice, legal malpractice, product liability, commercial litigation, personal injury, insurance coverage, employment law, civil rights, workers’ compensation, and negligence. He has attained the highest rating for ethics and legal ability, AV® Preeminent™, from Martindale Hubbell Law Directory. He received his law degree from Florida State University College of Law in 1981.
Christopher D. Hastings is an associate in the Tallahassee office of Quintairos, Prieto, Wood & Boyer, P.A. Mr. Hastings focuses his practice in the areas of workers’ compensation defense, employment law, insurance defense, medical malpractice, nursing home defense, premises liability, construction defect, and complex commercial litigation. He also has experience in the representation of condominium associations and their board members for claims related to board management, association disputes, and management disputes. He received his J.D. cum laude from Florida State University College of Law in 2015.
About QPWB
Quintairos, Prieto, Wood & Boyer, P.A. is the largest minority and women owned law firm in the nation with approximately 400 lawyers serving clients from 29 offices in the U.S. and abroad. Our lawyers provide representation in litigation, business, real estate and governmental law.