Chevron pays $5.5 million dollars for wrongful termination

Posted by Jim Stroud

November 28, 2007

Ouch! (I wonder if this will affect the price of Unleaded next week?)

Check it out…

Chevron gas

A former Chevron Corp. employee was awarded $5.5 million by a San Francisco federal court jury that found Chevron liable for retaliation and wrongful termination.

Kiran Pande, who holds a Ph.D. in petroleum engineering from Stanford University, was fired by Chevron in late 2003 after 15 years with the company. After a three-week trial stemming from incidents that occurred between September 2000 and December 2003, the jury found that Chevron retaliated against Pande after she complained about discrimination and fired her for reasons that violated a public policy. It did not find Chevron guilty of interfering with Pande’s right to medical leave.

Pande was awarded roughly $3 million for past and future economic losses, and $2.5 million in punitive damages.

In an e-mailed statement, Kent Robertson, media adviser for the San Ramon company, said, “We are disappointed with today’s verdict and are focusing on post trial motions and a possible appeal. Ms. Pande’s decision not to move to Houston with her department as part of a corporate restructuring is understandable and we respect her decision. However, in voluntarily electing not to relocate with the rest of her colleagues, Ms. Pande’s decision led to her eventual severance.

“Chevron’s human resources practices are well regarded,” Robertson’s statement continued. “Earlier this year the Women’s Business Enterprise Council named Chevron one of the top US corporations providing growth opportunities to women. The Human Rights Coalition has awarded Chevron a 100% rating in its Corporate Equality Index for our human resources policies and practices for three years running.”

READ: Chevron ordered to pay $5.5M in firing case