On April 30, 2017, plaintiff Suinta Batra, a special education director, resigned from her employment with the Burbank Unified School District. Batra claimed that she began to be subjected to a hostile work environment in July 2015, when Matt Hill was hired as the superintendent and Tom Kissinger, the outgoing assistant superintendent in charge of instructional services, became her direct supervisor. She complained to human resources, but allegedly nothing was done. Batra was then reassigned to be a school psychologist. She claimed that as a result, she was forced to resign. Batra sued the school district, the Burbank Board of Education, Hill and Kissinger. Batra alleged that Hill and Kissinger’s actions created a hostile work environment and constituted whistleblower retaliation, causing her constructive discharge. She also alleged that the school district and the board of education failed to prevent Hill and Kissinger’s actions, making them liable for Hill and Kissinger’s actions. Hill and Kissinger were ultimately dismissed from the case. Batra claimed that Kissinger repeatedly asked her to break special-education compliance laws, such as asking her to assess special education students during the summer. She also claimed that Kissinger micromanaged her work by spending hours shadowing her and that Kissinger and Hill held meetings with special education teachers in order to obtain any complaints about her. Batra alleged that she complained about Kissinger and Hill’s actions to the school district’s human resources director, as well as to a district board member, but that no actions or investigations were done to look into the matter. Batra claimed that as a result of the hostile work environment, she had to go out on medical leave three times due to stress. She also claimed that she was demoted from her position of 20 years to the lesser-paying position of school psychologist in retaliation for her complaints and that she was ultimately forced to resign., Batra claimed that she suffered from emotional distress as a result of the defendants’ actions. She alleged that she had to go out on medical leave due to stress three times between May 2016 and January 2017. Batra also claimed that she suffered a loss of earnings as a result of being demoted from her position as a director, which she held for 20 years, and being reassigned to a lower paying position with a $50,000 annual salary loss. She alleged that she also suffered a loss of income as result of being forced to resign. Batra sought recovery of lost earnings and damages for her emotional pain and suffering.