Pinter-Brown v. UCLA et al.

Los Angeles County

Superior Court Judge Michael P. Linfield

Plaintiff's Lawyers: Carney R. Shegerian, Mark I. Lim, Anthony Nguyen, Shegerian & Associates Inc.

Defense Lawyers: Barbara Ann Fitzgerald, Jason S. Mills, Alexis Gabrielson, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP

Lauren Carole Pinter-Brown, a hematologic oncologist, was the director of the lymphoma department at UCLA Medical Center -- until a male colleague conducted what her lawyers said was a campaign of harassment that ultimately led to her resignation and a lawsuit.

In February 2018, a jury awarded her $13 million. In August, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Michael Linfield added $1.8 million in attorney fees. UCLA's appeal is pending before a state appellate panel. Pinter-Brown v. UCLA et al., BC624838 (L.A. Super. Ct., filed June 22, 2016).

After she reported the harassment, Pinter-Brown was targeted in various audits, had her research privileges suspended, had her title stricken and her reputation permanently harmed, jurors were told.

Carney R. Shegerian of Shegerian & Associates Inc. represents Pinter-Brown. "It was a simple case to try. I just put my client up there and she told her story," he said.

"What happened to her was tragic," Shegerian said. "When she complained about harassment by a subordinate, the hospital administration in their wisdom switched her out and made him the director, based on some hokey allegations. The jury could easily see that Dr. Pinter-Brown is humble and down-to-earth and completely truthful."

Defense lawyer Barbara Ann Fitzgerald of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP did not respond to a message seeking comment.

In a statement, UCLA said, "The evidence at trial established that UCLA temporarily limited Dr. Pinter-Brown's research privileges based on serious concerns about patient safety. We believe the jury reached the wrong verdict because it received prejudicial instructions, among other factors."

The harasser was at fault, Shegerian said, "but I blame UCLA more. You'd think they would know better, but an earlier internal report revealed how they dealt with claims like this. They showed favoritism to professors or doctors who brought in corporate funding. They didn't want to throw out Dr. Pinter-Brown's harasser, so she suffered."

Shegerian said he knew the trial would go well.

"I knew I had [the jurors] from before my opening statement. She was such an honest and open person," he said. "She once told me that as a kid she told some kind of a major lie to her parents and it had haunted and embarrassed her for the rest of her life. That's the kind of person she is, a truth teller, and it easily came across in court."

Shegerian and Pinter-Brown have more than an attorney-client relationship.

"I myself have lymphoma," Shegerian said. "She's my personal oncologist. I interviewed a lot of doctors, and she stood out. In the eight years since I was diagnosed, Dr. Pinter-Brown has saved my life."

-- John Roemer