Supreme Court of California

In a sexual harassment action concerning the application of liability of California's Fair Employment and Housing Act (Gov. Code section 12900), an employer can be strictly liable under the FEHA for sexual harassment by a supervisor, and a plaintiff's damages do not include those damages that could have been avoided with reasonable effort and without undue risk, expense, or humiliation.

Appellate Information

• Decided 11/24/2003
• Published 11/24/2003

Judges

• KENNARD, J.

Court

• Supreme Court of California

Counsel

• For Appellant:
  
•  Bill Lockyer, Attorney General, Davis S. Chaney and Jacob Appelsmith, Assistant Attorneys General, James M. Schiavenza, Barbara J. Seidman, Barbara A. Morris, Nina Thompson and Tracy S. Hendrickson, Deputy Attorneys General, for Petitioner., Lloyd W. Pellman, County Counsel (Los Angeles), Steven J. Carnevale, Assistant County Counsel, Alan K. Terakawa and Mary E. Reyna, Deputy County Counsel, for Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority as Amicus Curiae on behalf of Petitioner., Liebert Cassidy Whitmore, Richard S. Whitmore, San Rafael, and Deborah G. Leon, Mountain View, for California League of Cities' Legal Advocacy Committee and the California State Association of Counties as Amici Curiae on behalf of Petitioner., Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker, Nancy L. Abell, Paul W. Crane, Jr., Los Angeles, and Katherine C. Huibonhoa, San Francisco, for Los Angeles Unified School District as Amicus Curiae on behalf of Petitioner., Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, Thomas M. Peterson, Los Angeles, Rebecca D. Eisen, San Francisco;  Brobeck, Phleger & Harrison and Jennifer A. Kearns for The Employers Group as Amicus Curiae on behalf of Petitioner., Heller Ehrman White & McAuliffe, Patricia K. Gillette and Greg J. Richardson, San Francisco, for The California Employment Law Council and The California Bankers Association as Amici Curiae on behalf of Petitioner., Ballard Rosenberg Golper & Savitt, John B. Golper, Universal City, Linda Miller Savitt and Christine T. Hoeffner as Amici Curiae on behalf of Petitioner.,  Marvin E. Krakow, Los Angeles;  Christopher H. Whelan;  Quackenbush & Quackenbush and William C. Quackenbush, San Diego, for Real Party in Interest., Patricia A. Shiu, San Francisco, Claudia Center and Shelley A. Gregory for The Legal Aid Society Employment Law Center, The Impact Fund and California Women's Law Center as Amici Curiae on behalf of Real Party in Interest., Law Offices of Jeffrey K. Winikow and Jeffrey K. Winikow, Los Angeles, for California Employment Lawyers Association as Amicus Curiae on behalf of Real Party in Interest.


• For Appellees:
  
• No appearance for Respondent.