Recent MatterIrell Scores Appellate Win for Anaheim Ducks
On December 3, 2018, in a win for Irell client Anaheim Ducks Hockey Club, LLC, an appellate court affirmed an arbitration ruling siding with the team and affiliates, defendants in an employment dispute. The California Court of Appeal for the Fourth District affirmed the trial court’s ruling that the team had properly sought and obtained declaratory relief in the case via arbitration.
In the underlying case, a former risk manager for the team asserted numerous purported claims, including whistleblower retaliation and discrimination, against his employer and other defendants and sought more than $250 million in damages. The plaintiff contended, among other things, that he was forced to resign for raising safety issues. Irell successfully petitioned to compel arbitration in the case, and in June 2016 the arbitrator ruled in the Ducks’ favor and found no liability, declaring that the employee’s claims had no merit.
The finding of the three-judge appellate panel preserves the arbitrator’s decision that the employee’s claims had no merit – a complete victory for Irell’s clients. The case is Vogelgesang v. Anaheim Ducks Hockey Club, LLC, et al., G054654.