Worker Fails to Establish Discrimination, Retaliation for FEHA Claim

A California appeals court, in an unpublished decision, affirmed a trial court's finding that a worker fired after a prolonged absence failed to carry her burden of establishing a triable issue of material fact in support of her discrimination and retaliation claims. The City of Santa Ana determined that Bilhah Lopez voluntarily abandoned her position as a public works dispatcher when she didn't show up for work for 11 months in 2021 and did not respond to requests for information about her condition or necessary restrictions.  On Jan. 4, 2021, Lopez notified the city that she w...