Pichon v. Pacific Gas & Electric Co.

212 Cal. App. 3d 488, 260 Cal. Rptr. 677, 4 I.E.R. Cas. (BNA) 1857, 1989 Cal. App. LEXIS 751
CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedJuly 24, 1989
DocketA041909
StatusPublished
Cited by32 cases

This text of 212 Cal. App. 3d 488 (Pichon v. Pacific Gas & Electric Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering California Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Pichon v. Pacific Gas & Electric Co., 212 Cal. App. 3d 488, 260 Cal. Rptr. 677, 4 I.E.R. Cas. (BNA) 1857, 1989 Cal. App. LEXIS 751 (Cal. Ct. App. 1989).

Opinion

Opinion

STEIN, J.

Val A. Pichon (hereafter Pichón or appellant), a discharged employee, sued his former employer, Pacific Gas and Electric Co. (hereafter PG&E or respondent), alleging: (1) breach of an express and implied contract of employment terminable only for cause; (2) termination in violation of public policy; (3) breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing, and (4) negligent and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Pichón also alleged a cause of action under Labor Code section 3602, subdivision (b)(2), for concealment of a medical report stating that he was experiencing an emotional crisis and needed counseling.

The trial court granted the employer’s motion for summary adjudication on the grounds that workers’ compensation is the exclusive remedy for all of Mr. Pichon’s claims for damages for injury to his psyche. The trial court subsequently granted the employer’s “motion in limine” and dismissed plaintiff’s remaining wrongful termination claims for contract damages on the ground that plaintiff’s exclusive remedy was under the Workers’ Com *492 pensation Act. That court further held that the compromise and release of plaintiff’s workers’ compensation claim constituted a waiver of any civil claims for damages. Pichón appealed claiming error as to each of these rulings.

We hold that: (1) Emotional distress caused by the termination of employment occurs within the course and scope of employment. (2) The exclusivity of workers’ compensation does not preclude causes of action for economic or contract damages; however, the employer does have the right to set off from any damages the amount of compensation paid. (3) A compromise and release executed in settlement of appellant’s workers’ compensation claim does not preclude appellant from suing for breach of contract, termination in violation of public policy, or breach of the covenant of good faith and fair dealing. (4) A decision of the California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board finding that appellant was discharged for misconduct does not collaterally estop appellant from relitigating the reasons for his discharge.

Facts

In view of the summary nature of the adjudication below, we are compelled to state the “facts” as they were alleged by appellant in his pleadings. Appellant’s first amended complaint alleged that he was employed by PG&E, as a civil engineer, until August 30, 1983. During the course of this employment appellant alleged that he was harassed by his supervisor and singled out for unfair treatment. On August 15, 1983, a meeting was held to discuss appellant’s job performance. When appellant became “very distraught and emotionally overcome” during this meeting, he was suspended from work pending the results of an evaluation process and was referred to an internist and a psychologist. When appellant returned to work, his supervisor informed him that the doctors had found him fit to perform his duties and that there was no need for treatment or counseling. Appellant alleged that these medical reports recommended that he undergo crisis intervention psychotherapy. Respondents did not follow this recommendation and instead continued to harass appellant and reprimanded him by letter dated August 29, 1983.

On August 30, 1983, respondents met with appellant to discuss the reprimand. They gave him a set of behavior requirements to correct the described performance discrepancies. During this meeting, a longstanding dispute regarding appellant’s refusal to adopt a bridge design recommended by one of his supervisors was renewed. Appellant continued to assert that his proposal was superior and that the design proposed by his supervisor was unsafe and entailed unnecessary cost that the public would ultimately *493 bear. Appellant was then discharged for insubordination and publicly humiliated.

Appellant’s first cause of action was titled “wrongful termination” and combined allegations of breach of an express and implied contract to terminate only for cause, with allegations of termination in violation of public policy. The second cause of action was for breach of the covenant of good faith and fair dealing. 1 Finally, the third and fourth causes of action were for intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress.

Approximately a year after his termination, appellant filed a workers’ compensation claim for injuries to his “psyche, heart, [and] nervous system.” The claim listed the dates of injury as July 15, 1980, through August 30, 1984, and stated that the injury caused disability from August 30, 1984, to the present. On December 20, 1985, the Workers’ Compensation Appeals Board approved a compromise and release of appellant’s workers compensation claim for $42,000.

On July 27, 1987, respondents filed a motion for summary judgment and an alternative motion for summary adjudication. The court denied the motion for summary judgment but granted summary adjudication because “[t]he claims for damages for injury to [appellant’s] psyche are barred by the Settlement and Release Order entered by the Workers’ Compensation appeals board . . . and by the exclusive remedy provisions of the Workers’ Compensation Act.”

On the first day of trial, respondents filed a “motion in limine” seeking dismissal of appellant’s remaining claims for “economic” damages. On the authority of Shoemaker v. Myers (1987) 204 Cal.App.3d 40 [237 Cal.Rptr. 686], review granted August 26, 1987 (S001726), respondents contended that, in addition to providing the exclusive remedy for appellant’s negligent and intentional infliction of emotional distress claims and any other damage claims for emotional distress, workers’ compensation also provided the exclusive remedy for his “wrongful termination” causes of action. Respondents also argued that the release of “any and all claims” set forth in the workers’ compensation compromise and release constituted a waiver of his causes of action based on the termination of his employment. The court held a hearing on the motion that same day and appellant appeared and *494 argued the merits. The court granted the motion and judgment for respondents was entered on February 11, 1988.

On February 17, 1988, appellant filed a “motion for relief’ pursuant to Code of Civil Procedure section 473. On March 29, 1988, the court denied the motion and appellant filed a notice of appeal on April 8, 1988.

I.

We shall first address the propriety of the court’s summary adjudication that the exclusive remedy for appellant’s claims of injury to his psyche caused by harassment on the job and the termination of his employment is provided by the California Workers’ Compensation Act, Labor Code section 3200 et seq. The effect of the summary adjudication is to preclude appellant from litigating his causes of action for negligent and intentional infliction of emotional distress, and from recovering any damages attendant to the remaining causes of action for injuries to appellant’s psyche caused by harassment or termination of his employment.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Sutton v. Saputo Cheese USA CA5
California Court of Appeal, 2023
Garcia v. Poker Flat Property Owners Assn. CA3
California Court of Appeal, 2021
Kurz v. Syrus Systems, LLC
221 Cal. App. 4th 748 (California Court of Appeal, 2013)
Sunline Transit Agency v. AMALGAMATED TRANSIT UNION, LOCAL 1277
189 Cal. App. 4th 292 (California Court of Appeal, 2010)
Webb v. County of Trinity
734 F. Supp. 2d 1018 (E.D. California, 2010)
Singh v. Southland Stone, U.S.A., Inc.
186 Cal. App. 4th 338 (California Court of Appeal, 2010)
Bagatti v. Department of Rehabilitation
118 Cal. Rptr. 2d 443 (California Court of Appeal, 2002)
CHARLES J. VACANTI v. State Comp. Ins. Fund
14 P.3d 234 (California Supreme Court, 2001)
Charles J. Vacanti, M.D., Inc. v. State Comp. Ins. Fund
24 Cal. 800 (California Supreme Court, 2001)
Anderson v. METALCLAD INSULATION CORP.
85 Cal. Rptr. 2d 331 (California Court of Appeal, 1999)
Muller v. Automobile Club of So. California
61 Cal. App. 4th 431 (California Court of Appeal, 1998)
Mayer v. Multistate Legal Studies, Inc.
52 Cal. App. 4th 1428 (California Court of Appeal, 1997)
Usher v. American Airlines, Inc.
20 Cal. App. 4th 1520 (California Court of Appeal, 1993)
Cameron v. Beard
864 P.2d 538 (Alaska Supreme Court, 1993)
Flowmaster, Inc. v. SUPERIOR COURT OF SONOMA CTY.
16 Cal. App. 4th 1019 (California Court of Appeal, 1993)
Flowmaster, Inc. v. Superior Court
16 Cal. App. 4th 1019 (California Court of Appeal, 1993)
B & E Convalescent Center v. State Compensation Insurance Fund
8 Cal. App. 4th 78 (California Court of Appeal, 1992)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
212 Cal. App. 3d 488, 260 Cal. Rptr. 677, 4 I.E.R. Cas. (BNA) 1857, 1989 Cal. App. LEXIS 751, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/pichon-v-pacific-gas-electric-co-calctapp-1989.