SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 21, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Siegel, Yee, Brunner & Mehta, a law firm specializing in civil rights cases, today announced that the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) has settled a lawsuit brought by former Chief Judge Karen Clopton for retaliation in response to her protected whistle blowing activities and for complaining about racial discrimination. The California Superior Court found there were triable issues of fact regarding Chief Judge Clopton's claims that the CPUC retaliated against her after she called out unethical collaboration between the CPUC and PG&E and claimed racial discrimination. The case settled before a trial date could be set due to delays caused by COVID-19.
"Too many times, Black women who fight racism in institutions become victims of retaliation," said Jane Brunner, one of the attorneys representing Clopton. "Karen Clopton was not willing to stand by while the CPUC permitted racism to continue, especially in the Bay Area. The settlement indicates that the CPUC knew it was wrong."
Chief Judge Clopton served as the Chief Administrative Law Judge for the CPUC for almost a decade, where she managed the submission and adoption of decisions by the commission. In the same year as her dismissal, Clopton was awarded the American Bar Association's Robert B. Yegge award for outstanding contribution in the field of Judicial Law and was elected to the Board of Governors for the National Association of Administrative Law...
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