REPORT TO COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
Approve the First Amendment to Outside Counsel Agreement with Sloan, Sakai, Yeung & Wong, LLP for Litigation Services for Litigation Services in the Matter of Michael Laurent v. City of Sunnyvale
Report
BACKGROUND & DISCUSSION
The City recently prevailed in the matter of Michael Laurent v. City of Sunnyvale, Case No. 19CV355846 in Santa Clara County Superior Court. The matter involved a case brought by Plaintiff Michael Laurent, a former City employee working in the Library and Recreation Services Department, who made claims of discrimination, failure to provide a reasonable accommodation, retaliation, failure to engage in the interactive process, and failure to prevent discrimination and retaliation. The case was set for trial four times since October 2023, but did not proceed to trial until April 2025 because no courtroom was available. The trial began on April 7, 2025, and concluded on May 5, 2025, with a jury verdict in favor of the City.
Steven P. Shaw and Ivan Delventhal are attorneys with the law firm of Sloan Sakai Yeung & Wong LLP ("Sloan Sakai") who led the City's defense. The firm specializes in municipal employment defense. Mr. Shaw and Mr. Delventhal are part of the firm's litigation group that handles litigation, mediations, arbitrations, and trials for municipal clients throughout California. Before engaging Sloan Sakai, the City Council previously authorized the City Attorney to retain another law firm, Atkinson, Andelson, Loya, Ruud & Romo (RTC No. 23-0705) to handle the defense of this matter. The City Council also authorized the initial outside counsel agreement with Sloan Sakai (RTC No. 24-0211).
Approval is requested for a Second Amendment to the Outside Counsel Agreement to allow for an additional $100,000 in legal expenses associated with the protracted trial and any post-trial work, for a new not-to-exceed amount of $400,000. The City's legal fees and costs in this case exceed $800,000 (including amo...
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