At trial, Melissa Ojanen, a law student, was awarded $68,934 after being dismissed by her law firm. The Court of Appeal for British Columbia increased those damages to $193,934. Surprisingly, it was the employer, Acumen Law, who appealed the trial decision and suffered itsI have often counselled employers who come to me to appeal an unsuccessful trial judgement to consider one fact: Few trial judgements get reported.
“If you are comfortably within the 7-day period I would recommend contacting a law firm, they [may] be able to handle the whole process for you,” the email said. “I do work for Acumen Law as a law student. But whatever you choose, I do recommend hiring a lawyer to deal with your son’s situation. My name is Melissa . I hope this has been helpful.” The email was signed “Melissa.”
The trial judge concluded Acumen’s suspicions were unfounded. Further, the judge found the conduct of Acumen and Doroshenko was unfair and unduly insensitive.