Trial Magazine

Kourtney Liggins, 41, taught science at the Transfiguration School, a Roman Catholic institution. Liggins, a divorced mother of six children, became pregnant with her seventh child out of wedlock. Principal Michael Tang referred to Liggins’s baby as “it” during her pregnancy and told Liggins not to come to campus in the eighth month of her pregnancy.

After Liggins’s maternity leave, from which she was asked to return early, she was accused of poor performance in the classroom. She complained to Tang and the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and was later denied a contract renewal.

Liggins, who had earned $39 per hour, now works as a substitute teacher.

Liggins sued the archdiocese and Tang, alleging she was fired in retaliation for complaining of pregnancy discrimination and defamation. The plaintiff asserted that Tang had changed her personnel file to include false complaints from parents to justify her termination.

The jury awarded approximately $3.6 million, including $87,000 in punitive damages against Tang.

Citation: Liggins v. Archdiocese of Los Angeles, No. BC522726 (Cal. Super. Ct. Los Angeles Cnty. Nov. 1, 2018).

Plaintiff counsel: James Urbanic, Los Angeles; and Anthony Nguyen and Mark Lim, both of Santa Monica, Calif.

Plaintiff experts: Warren Procci, psychiatry, Pasadena, Calif.; and Tamorah Hunt, economics, Santa Ana, Calif.