Court Upholds Award for Teacher Who Was Fired
A state appeals court has upheld a $627,000 judgment for a former juvenile hall teacher who sued the Ventura County schools superintendent for wrongful termination.
Robert LeVine sued the agency and four administrators five years ago after he was fired for reporting alleged misuse of school funds.
LeVine won his case in Ventura County Superior Court and was awarded more than $843,000 in damages and legal fees. The superintendent’s office appealed the decision, contending the judge made errors that warranted a new trial.
This week, the 2nd District Court of Appeal in Ventura rejected those claims and issued a decision upholding the jury’s verdict against the superintendent’s office.
The justices did reverse part of the judgment, however, concluding that LeVine’s former supervisors could not be held individually liable under the state’s False Claims Act.
The school district has not decided whether to seek a hearing before the California Supreme Court, said Supt. Charles Weis.
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