Santa Clara Superior Court Rejects Employer’s Challenge, Affirming Accountability for Workplace Retaliation
The Honorable Julia Alloggiamento of Santa Clara Superior Court denied Power Integrations, Inc.’s motions for judgment notwithstanding the verdict and for a new trial, upholding a $9.15 million jury award for disability harassment and retaliation. The verdict, secured by trial attorneys Tanya Gomerman and Ashley Pellouchoud of Gomerman | Bourn & Associates, represents more than monetary damages; it’s also a resounding statement that workers who stand against harassment and discrimination will be heard.
The Reality Behind the Numbers
This wasn’t an isolated incident. The Court’s order lays bare what workers facing discrimination know too well: misconduct rarely exists in a vacuum. As Judge Alloggiamento wrote in her decision:
“Evidence supported a finding that this case presented a pattern of conduct: a managing agent who engaged in and fostered a culture of harassment (testified to by several witnesses), a managing agent who had the power to (and decided to) fire an employee after the employee opposed his workplace harassment, a managing director who failed to take steps to inform HR so they could investigate Plaintiff’s allegations of harassment after he was made aware of them despite his obligation to do so…”
The decision continues, documenting how multiple levels of management—from the CEO who approved discriminatory performance evaluations to HR leadership who withdrew severance offers and terminated the employee immediately after receiving harassment complaints—participated in a system designed to silence rather than support.
Why This Victory Matters
Power Integrations argued its conduct warranted minimal consequences, characterizing systematic retaliation and harassment as “an isolated incident.” The Court rejected this narrative entirely, recognizing what juries increasingly understand: corporate cultures that permit harassment don’t emerge from single moments but from sustained institutional failure.
The substantial punitive damages—$6 million—reflect the jury’s determination that this wasn’t simply negligence but conduct deserving of deterrence. And the Court agreed, finding the award constitutionally sound and proportionate to the “reprehensibility” of Power Integrations’ actions.
Standing Against Corporate Power
Clarkson’s Appeals & Writs Partner Glenn Danas and Counsel Brent Robinson joined this fight as appellate counsel, helping defend this righteous judgment against inevitable post-trial challenges.
The case is Rogerson vs. Power Integrations, Inc., et al., Case No. 21CV388427 in the Superior Court of the State of California, County of Santa Clara.
If you’ve experienced workplace harassment, disability discrimination, or retaliation, you don’t have to face it alone. Contact the employment attorneys at Clarkson to discuss your rights.
