$4.9 Million Settles Montebello Unified Wrongful Termination Lawsuit

Former superintendent, Susanna Contreras Smith, is to receive a $4.9 million settlement after the appeal of her wrongful termination lawsuit. She and her attorney were also awarded $6 million in damages and attorneys fees. 

Cleve Pell, former chief financial and operations officer, also sued the district. He received $2.6 million in damages and attorney fees but has not settled yet.

Robert Alaniz, the district spokesman, stated that Montebello Unified is glad to have the matter settled. With the issue resolved, the district can move forward, focusing on its mission to offer excellence in public schooling, create positive learning environments, programs, and services so students can excel. 70% of the cost will be covered by the district’s insurance company, with the remainder coming out of the general fund. 

When Does Termination Become Wrongful Termination? In legal terms, the phrase wrongful termination refers to a situation in which an employee’s contract of employment is terminated by their employer when that termination breaches one or more terms of the contract of employment in place, a statute provision, or any federal or state employment law.  

The Montebello Unified School District recently had financial difficulties that resulted in the hiring of a fiscal advisor, Mark Skvarna. Skvarna offered oversight for all the district’s financial decisions. In response to the settlement, Skvarna stated that there would only be a minimal impact on the Montebello Unified School District’s budget. He advised the district to close out any lawsuits they could. One-time settlements protect them from the difficulties of open liability.

If you have been wrongfully terminated from your job, please get in touch with Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik DeBlouw LLP. Experienced employment law attorneys are ready to assist you in any one of various law firm offices located in San Diego, San Francisco, Sacramento, Los Angeles, Riverside, and Chicago.