Six years, a trial, and a firing. But no end to a professor’s sexual harassment fight
Inside a Los Angeles professor’s long sexual harassment fight – Los Angeles Times
Sabrena Turner-Odom had settled comfortably into the rhythms of campus life at Los
Angeles Southwest College. The English professor and tutoring director found it rewarding to guide students who reminded her of friends from her younger years — some who didn’t see college as a fit, others who were lost to street violence.
“What I tell my students is: Education is the fight of your life, because it will change your life,” she said.
But the sense of fulfillment she built over two decades splintered in February 2017, when Turner-Odom started reporting to Howard Irvin, the college’s then-vice president of student services and a former Los Angeles Police Department sergeant. During their frequent meetings at a circular glass table in Irvin’s office, he would abruptly shift the conversation from work to her appearance, she testified in a civil court case she brought against Southwest College and Irvin.
Maryann P. Gallagher, Viridiana Aceves, and Jamie E. Wright, scored a $10 M verdict for Dr. Sabrena Turner-Odom against the LA Community College system.
(LOS ANGELES, CA): Friday’s $10M Verdict in the sexual harassment case of Odom v. Los Angeles Community College District and Howard Irvin Case No. BC724401 marks a victory for women in the arenas of both higher education and law.
This was among the first of its kind, a Teaching Trial in a case that helped to shine a light on LACCD’s administration’s refusal to respect and protect its female professors. Veteran employment attorney Maryann P. Gallagher of the Law Office of Maryann P. Gallagher, her associate Viridiana Aceves along with co-counsel and millennial employment attorney Jamie E. Wright of The Wright Employment Lawyers, teamed up to represent plaintiff Dr. Sabrena Turner-Odom against the Los Angeles Community College system (LACCD) and its employee, Vice President Howard Irvin. The diverse and dedicated Los Angeles-based legal team successfully secured a verdict of $8.5M against LACCD and $1.5M against Howard Irvin, setting a precedent for future students and faculty alike.
“It is an honor to help Dr. Odom and stop LACCD from letting this happen again to any teacher or student,” says lead counsel Gallagher. “For four years, LACCD refused to acknowledge the harassment and refused to protect Dr. Odom. While Irvin took everything away from this beloved professor and public servant, and I am proud to represent her; I sincerely hope she feels heard, validated, and can move toward healing.”
“The jury corrected a wrong by the LACCD today for its failure to investigate and take action against Vice President Howard Irvin,” comments Wright. “Because of this injustice, a woman whose greatest dream was to empower the area’s lower-income students lost every sense of safety on a campus that once felt like home.”
This landmark trial is a shining example of California’s recent legal changes allowing promising young attorneys like Wright and Aceves the opportunity to experience high-profile cases as associate counsel. Previously, assuming a key role in a prominent case like Dr. Odom’s would have proven difficult – if not impossible – for millennial attorneys like Wright, even with the decade of successful legal experience brought to the table. Gallagher, a renowned employment attorney with numerous wins against global corporations, served as lead counsel and empowered Wright and Aceves to demonstrate their expertise in supporting her client’s search for justice.
With this victory, Dr. Odom and her trial team hope to force LACCD to change its policies, taking complaints of sexual harassment seriously, and that Howard Irvin will never be allowed to supervise or teach female students again. With extensive experience in labor negotiations and arbitrations, ADA disputes, civil rights, negligence, breach of contract, premises liability, and more, the trial team aims to carry this momentum forward onto future caseloads. With this verdict serving as a win for women everywhere, Gallagher , Wright and Aceves will continue to fight against sexual harassment in a world desperate for more fundamental victories like these.
For press and media inquiries, contact Stacey Barker at Jade Umbrella PR e:
Maryann P. Gallagher has been a Plaintiff’s Attorney practicing Employment Litigation for over 30 Years. She has tried over 50 cases to verdict. In addition to Employment verdicts, including sexual harassment, age discrimination, disability discrimination , and whistleblower cases, Ms. Gallagher has been awarded the coveted Consumer Attorneys of Los Angeles Trial Lawyer of the Year award , only the second woman in the organizations 70 year history to achieve this honor. She hopes that by having more “Teaching Trials”, there will be more future women Trial Lawyers of the Year . In addition to being a trial attorney, Ms. Gallagher has also handled her own appeals, publishing several cases and creating new areas of law in Sexual Abuse and HIV infliction cases.
Jamie E. Wright, Esq. is a highly sought-after Los Angeles millennial trial lawyer, political strategist, and crisis communicator specializing in employment cases such as wrongful termination, wage and hour violations, disability discrimination, hostile work environment, sexual harassment, and more.
Maryann Gallagher Part of Team that Secures $10M for Client in Sexual Harassment Case
Maryann P. Gallagher, Viridiana Aceves, and Jamie E. Wright, scored a $10 M verdict for Dr. Sabrena Turner-Odom against the LA Community College system.
Veteran employment attorney Maryann P. Gallagher of the Law Office of Maryann P. Gallagher, her associate Viridiana Aceves along with co-counsel and millennial employment attorney Jamie E. Wright of The Wright Employment Lawyers, teamed up to represent plaintiff Dr. Sabrena Turner-Odom against the Los Angeles Community College system (LACCD) and its employee, Vice President Howard Irvin. The diverse and dedicated Los Angeles-based legal team successfully secured a verdict of $8.5M against LACCD and $1.5M against Howard Irvin, setting a precedent for future students and faculty alike.
A recent article published in USA today named Maryann Gallagher was picked as one of the Top 10 Up and coming attorneys set to make a splash in 2022.
The article cites Maryann as:
…one of the few female plaintiff litigators in Los Angeles who owns her own firm.
Gallagher stands up against Fortune 500 Companies that harass or discriminate against their employees. She helps women who are victims of sexual harassment and employees who are unjustly terminated based on their age, gender or disability.
She fights vigorously on behalf of those too afraid to speak up for themselves. She has been voted by her peers in Los Angeles as Trial Lawyer of the Year, the 2nd woman in 57 years to achieve that high honor.
The Law Office of Maryann Gallagher is pleased to announce that a jury has awarded Rosa Jensen $3,967,135 in her suit brought against Home Depot. Ms. Jensen was represented by the Law Offices of Maryann Gallagher and by Michael Kim, PC.
The jury found Home Depot responsible for claims of Disability Discrimination, Perceived Disability Discrimination, Failure to Engage in the Interactive Process, Failure to Provide Reasonable Accommodation, and Wrongful Termination.
The reached its verdict on September 29, 2021.
For more details, download this PDF article from the Daily Journal in this here.
Maryann Gallagher Joins Los Angeles Trial Lawyers Charities Board
Today Maryann Gallagher was thrilled to be named as an Honorary Board Member to the Los Angeles Trial Lawyers Charities (LATLC). This Non Profit Organization is founded by Los Angeles Plaintiff’s Trial Lawyers who want to give back to Los Angeles.
Through the years , Ms. Gallagher has given her time volunteering to feed the homeless in Venice, she has visited the Women’s Shelter in Skid Row, she has organized clothes for women who are without homes or need help finding jobs, she has participated in spending time with children at the annual Turkey and Toy give away, and has helped assemble bags of toiletries to be distributed to the homeless.
“I come from a family of 7 children,” said Ms. Gallagher. “I worked sometimes three jobs to make it through college and law school. With the gift I have been given of being able to become a trial lawyer, I have to give back with my time — spending time with people who feel lost, or hopeless — and with my resources. I am so proud to be a member of LATLC and have this opportunity to give back and hopefully make a small difference to families who are struggling.”
For more information about the Los Angeles Trial Lawyers Charities, click here.
Maryann Gallagher takes on Hollywood bullies in the entertainment industry
Maryann Gallagher and Carl Douglas, two prominent Los Angeles trial lawyers, stepped into the Hollywood mix to file a case on behalf of their Client Alan Elliott who spent 20 years bringing the Aretha Franklin documentary “Amazing Grace” to life. Elliot had been bullied and sabotaged by one of the powerhouse entertainment lawyers, Barry Tyerman, who continued for almost 10 years making hallow threats of litigation to kill any potential deal that Elliott made for sale of the movie so that Tyerman could then strongarm Elliott into cutting Tyerman into the deal.
Tyerman, who at one time represented Elliott , knew that even the whiff of a potential litigation when a film is being shopped to major networks would kill the deal. He used his power to try and bully Elliott and inject himself into a part of the proceeds of Amazing Grace. Gallagher and Douglas stood up against this Hollywood powerhouse and on Friday, a La Superior Court agreed that their claim could proceed against Tyerman.
Ms. Melanie McDade-Dickens, Inglewood Mayor James Butts’ former executive assistant, joins her attorneys Carl Douglas (Douglas Hicks Law) and Maryann Gallagher (The Law Offices of Maryann Gallagher) to announce a civil lawsuit against the City of Inglewood, Mayor Butts, human resources director Jose Cortes, and city manager Artie Fields alleging harassment, retaliation, stalking, and wrongful termination after McDade-Dickens ended her 9-year relationship with Mayor Butts.
Maryann Gallagher stands with other Irish Law 100 women honorees.
The Law Offices of Maryann P. Gallagher is excited to announce our recognition by the Irish Voice‘s Irish Legal 100 list.
The List honors Maryann’s history because “she has been a plaintiff’s attorney practicing employment litigation for over 25 years, and she has tried over 40 cases to verdict.”
According to the Irish Voice, “Gallagher has worked to protect victims of sexual harassment and sexual assault both in the workplace and out of the workplace for over 25 years.”
Attending the event was Ireland’s Ambassador to the United States, Dan Mulhall (pictured above).
The Irish Legal 100, founded in 2008 by the Irish Voice newspaper in New York, is an annual compilation of the most distinguished legal professionals in the United States who share one common bond: pride in their Irish roots. Our list includes attorneys, legal scholars and members of the judiciary who have distinguished themselves in their fields of endeavor. Members include United States Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, Justice Anthony Kennedy, United States Ambassador to Ireland Kevin O’Malley,
Georgetown Law Dean William Treanor, CBS News correspondent Erin Moriarty and many more, including attorneys from some of the country’s top legal firms. Each fall our members are celebrated at a reception hosted by the Ambassador of Ireland to the United States. The Irish Legal 100 plans to expand its network in the months ahead and include a new strand, the Irish Legal 100 Top 40 Under 40.
Click image to download instructions.The Department of Fair Employment and Housing , which requires that a claim from be submitted prior to proceeding with claims of sexual harassment and discrimination has changed its computer system from Houdini to California Civil Rights System ( CCRS). You must now proceed through the new computer filing system in order to file your complaints. The new complaint forms can be found at this link. Please contact a lawyer in assisting you through these forms.
Click on this image to download a PDF version of the instructions.
We are happy to assist you in filing your claims of sexual harassment, age discrimination, physical disability discrimination, retaliation. Just give us a call or email us.
