Gibraltar Must Pay Ex-Worker $367,000 Over Royalty Dispute

A Los Angeles Superior Court jury Wednesday ordered Gibraltar Savings to pay $367,000 to a former employee who claimed he was fired wrongfully and denied royalties from a computer program he developed for the Beverly Hills-based savings and loan.

The jury awarded the damages to Donald Washbrook, who had worked for nine years as an accountant at Gibraltar. Washbrook is a former child actor who played in the television series “Petticoat Junction.”

According to the lawsuit filed by the law firm of Rosner, Owens, Nunziato & Henry, Washbrook developed a computer program on his own time for savings and loan accounting procedures.

He allowed Gibraltar to use the program free but was promised royalties of 15% for sales of the program by Gibraltar to other savings and loans.

When Gibraltar decided to begin a major effort to market the program, it tried to reduce the royalty to 5% and fired Washbrook when he objected, according to Phil J. Montoya Jr., one of his attorneys. Montoya said the company also destroyed the computer program.

The bulk of the award, $250,000, represented punitive damages against Gibraltar.

Dean W. Harrison, the thrift’s general counsel, said the verdict will be appealed and that he will argue strenuously that the punitive damages were excessive.