Our client, cannabis growers in Northern California, had a commercial lease for the farmland that they used to grow their cannabis. The landlord and our client have been friends since childhood. However, a dispute arose as our client refused to pay rent until the landlord fulfilled his duties, such as removing trash from the property and dealing with an expired permit, to our lessee client. The landlord filed a commercial unlawful detainer against our client, claiming that the breach of the lease (which the landlord denied) was not a basis to refuse to pay rent. Unfortunately, commercial leases are different from residential leases. The client is a married couple who are expecting their first child at the end of a high-risk pregnancy, and the landlord filed the case such that the trial would be scheduled shortly after the birth of the baby. Ad Astra took over the case and made sure that the client and their family are free of stress throughout the negotiation. At the end, Ad Astra successfully negotiated a deal that kept our client in possession of the farm without much concession, and the baby was born healthy. We derive great joy out of outcomes like this where we make an immediate positive impact on our clients’ lives.
Author: Scripta Ad Astra Staff
IT Analyst Client Secures Triple Original Severance Offer
Matt Kumin helps a client take home triple the amount of original severance offers. The client, a highly specialized, information security analyst, reached out to Ad Astra after her sudden termination, wondering if she had any potential claims. Her employer had offered her what seems to be a generous severance package—$40,000 plus 6 months of COBRA payments. However, Kumin found the severance package odd since the client made around $80,000 annually and had worked there for only two years. Typically, a severance package in these circumstances falls within a much lower range – less than $10,000 and a month or two of COBRA payments.
After an exhaustive and extensive investigation, Kumin and the client zeroed in on the likely motive for the generous offer. The client had, in the course of her employment, uncovered numerous violations of federal and state laws designed to protect consumer data committed by her employer—all of which she repeatedly reported to her supervisors and co-workers. When she wrote and disseminated a report detailing these violations, her employer terminated her within days, claiming she was not “a good fit” for the organization.
Presented with these details in our demand letter, including excerpts of emails reporting and documenting her discovery of the violations and identifying CA Labor Code section 1102.5’s liberal construction of retaliation as the basis for a lawsuit if the employer refuses to settle, the employer offered the client $120,000, tripling their original severance offer.