Godfrey, James

Applicant James Godfrey, a real estate broker/sales manager, was injured in a single-car motor vehicle accident on March 8, 2019 after a work-sponsored event and was terminated in June 2019. He filed a Labor Code section 132a discrimination claim alleging his termination was related to his industrial injury. The WCJ found that the employment was terminated for reasons unrelated to the industrial accident, that applicant failed to establish he had filed or made known an intention to file a workers' compensation claim, and that the employer established a valid business reason for the termination. On reconsideration, the WCAB adopted the WCJ's Report, deferring to the WCJ's credibility determination favoring the employer's witness, and denied the petition, holding applicant failed to present a prima facie case of discrimination.