L.A. Superior Court judge considers placing principal’s lawsuit against La Cañada Unified before jury
A Los Angeles Superior Court judge heard arguments Wednesday in the case of former La Cañada Elementary School Principal Christine Castillo, who filed a gender discrimination lawsuit against the La Cañada Unified School District in December.
Judge Randolph Hammock delivered a tentative ruling on Tuesday in advance of the hearing, indicating his opinion the case could go to trial before a jury. Attorneys for both sides appeared at L.A.’s Stanley Mosk Courthouse Wednesday to argue whether Castillo’s claims of disparate treatment, disability discrimination and wrongful termination, among other complaints, fell within the statute of limitations and met the legal threshold for trial by jury.
After hearing arguments, Hammock said he’d take the matter into consideration before issuing a final ruling. Both parties scheduled a tentative trial date of Sept, 18, 2018, with mediation and case management conference dates set for Aug.1 and Aug. 15, 2018, respectively.
Hammock could make a final ruling as soon as next week, according to Ben Meiselas, who is representing Castillo on behalf of Los Angeles-based firm Geragos & Geragos.
“We look forward to this matter being heard before a jury,” the attorney said Wednesday.
In her Dec. 28 lawsuit, Castillo alleged she was discriminated against by LCUSD officials, who failed to accommodate a doctor’s recommendation for reduced hours during pregnancy and later conducted negative employee evaluations that led to her being reassigned to a teaching position for the 2015-16 school year.
Twitter: @SaraCardine
