LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Citing Whistleblower Retaliation, Sexual Harassment, Gender Discrimination and Wrongful Termination among several other charges, two female employees of Radnet, Inc., Radnet Management, Inc. and Breastlink Medical Group, Inc. filed suit today in Los Angeles Superior Court. Also named as a defendant in the lawsuit filed by Britt DeSola and Jamie Johansen was Dr. Justin West, a plastic surgeon who was employed by the defendants.
According to Attorneys Tamara S. Freeze and Robert A. Odell of Irvine, CA- based Workplace Justice Advocates, PLC (WJA) , the grievances of the two women and the violations of law pertain to the inappropriate and unlawful behavior of Dr. West toward them and the subsequent refusal of Radnet and Breastlink to take appropriate action despite ongoing requests to stop his harmful conduct and actions.
Additional causes of action in the lawsuits, DeSola’s lawsuit contains one for Defamation and Johansen’s includes Sexual Harassment, Discrimination on the Basis of Sex and Negligence.
According to their attorneys, DeSola, a resident of Mission Viejo, CA, was a Regional Manager for Radnet overseeing its Finesse Plastic Surgery facilities in Orange and Newport Beach, CA and Johansen, also a resident of Mission Viejo, CA, was a Patient Coordinator and Scheduler at the Newport Beach location. Dr. Justin West, a resident of Newport Beach, provided surgical services at both facilities.
The two women in their lawsuits allege that Dr. West engaged in ongoing, hostile and abusive behavior with the female staff and was protected by corporate management. During the course of her employment, he performed breast augmentation mastoplexy surgery on Johansen and due to her constant pain post-surgery as well as a deformity that resulted, at least two subsequent “revision” operations were required. This caused her to take medical leave from work for recovery.
According to Johansen, Dr. West repeatedly harassed her for taking medical leave and also continually sexually harassed her verbally and groped her on several occasions. As her superior, DeSola reported that she filed numerous complaints to management of his inappropriate and illegal actions which were ignored. In retaliation, she alleges, Dr. West and management then falsely claimed DeSola had forged medical prescriptions. Radnet then fired her and Johansen on March 30, 2017, just weeks after they submitted the written harassment complaints that were physically attached to the lawsuits.
Commenting on the case, the attorneys stated: "Both of these women trusted Radnet to protect them from illegal harassment. However, the company instead chose to protect its 'rainmaker' plastic surgeon by terminating our clients, slandering their names and ruining their careers. The evidence we've already gathered is extremely damning to the defendants and shows the horrible bullying, sexual harassment and retaliation they endured at the hands of Dr. West - which was fully-condoned by Radnet's management. We will do everything in our power to bring the defendants to justice."
Both lawsuits are seeking compensatory and punitive damages, legal and court costs as well as a permanent injunction prohibiting defendants from harassing and discriminating against employees on the basis of gender or disability.