On Nov. 3, 2017, plaintiff James Jordan, 54, a senior director of the northern farming division of Wonderful Citrus Packing LLC, was terminated from his position. He claimed that he was fired without explanation and that he was replaced by a much younger, less experienced, less qualified worker. Jordan sued Wonderful Citrus Packing. The lawsuit alleged that the company’s actions constituted age discrimination, wrongful termination, a breach of contract, a violation of California’s good faith and fair dealing laws, and a defamation of character. The court granted defense counsel’s motion for a directed verdict on the claims for age discrimination and a violation of California’s good faith and fair dealing laws. Jordan claimed that Wonderful Citrus Packing disseminated false rumors about him, including that he was involved in altering time cards and was stealing from the company, as pretext for his termination. He claimed that, prior to his being notified of his termination, the company issued two emails, 41 minutes apart, to 300 to 400 employees. He claimed that the first email notified the employees of his termination and that the second email, while not identifying him by name, encouraged employees to report incidences of embezzlement, misappropriation of funds or employee use of inappropriate language. Jordan claimed that the close proximity between the delivery of the emails caused recipients to infer that he had stolen from the company. Jordan also claimed that there was a separate incident during which he was defamed. He claimed that, at a meeting, two of the company’s senior executives accused him of stealing from the company and that the executives also relayed the false accusation to mid-level managers. Plaintiff’s counsel contended that Jordan was not an at-will employee and that Jordan’s termination required “good cause.” Counsel suggested that Wonderful Citrus Packing conducted a pretextual investigation, which involved threats, intimidation and coercion of employees, to fabricate a basis for terminating Jordan. Defense counsel denied that any false accusations were made about Jordan and argued that Jordan was an at-will employee who could be terminated without cause. Counsel contended that Wonderful Citrus Packing obtained information in 2017 that suggested that Jordan was stealing from the company and that, when the company learned about the theft, it rightfully terminated Jordan’s employment., Jordan claimed that he had been a loyal employee of Wonderful Citrus Packing for more than 25 years and that he was promoted continually, ultimately supervising workers and more than 7,000 acres of citrus. He claimed that, even though he dedicated his entire adult life to citrus farming, he was not given a valid explanation for his termination and was not provided a fair opportunity to respond to any alleged allegations against him. He also claimed that he was not offered a severance package or a bonus for the almost three decades of work. Jordan further claimed that, after his termination, he was unable to engage in competitive employment. Jordan also claimed that the senior executives defamed him by falsely accusing him of being a thief and that the allegation spread throughout the industry and prevented him from finding follow-up employment. He claimed that he suffered severe resultant depression and anxiety. Jordan sought recovery of $482,114 in past lost earnings and $1,958,957 in future lost earnings. He also sought recovery of damages for his emotional pain and suffering. In addition, he sought recovery of punitive damages.