California State Employees: Should You Appeal Your Dismissal through State Personnel Board Hearing?

Employees of California State agencies and some other public employees have certain appeal rights with regard to a disciplinary action or employment termination they might facing, which includes a hearing in front of the SPB board. This kind of hearing has four distinct advantages over bringing a lawsuit in court over the same issue/termination. First, the SPB hearing process is much quicker. You don't have to go through discovery, be deposed, wait for trial date and face a number of other phases in litigation that can easily make the process last well over a year. You are likely to have your full evidentially hearing in front of the SPB within just a few months or even sooner. Secondly, the SPB administrative law judge, beyond awarding backpay, can also order your reinstatement, if you were terminated. On the other hand, reinstatement is not a remedy that's generally avilable in court. You may be awarded damages for lost wages and emotional distress in court, but no judge or jury can force your employer to take you back to work. Further, the SPB hearings are free of charge, while litigation can be costly, although it depends on the nature of your case and the arrangement you have with your attorney. Finally, unlike in court, where the burden of proving the case is at all times on the aggrieved employees, at the SPB hearings the burden of proof is generally on the employer (except AWOL cases and a limited number of other exceptions).

The SPB hearings also have major disadvantages: if you have a strong discrimination case and you lose your SPB hearing for whatever reason, that decision will be binding on any subsequent discrimination lawsuit, unless you set aside the adverse SPB decision through Writ of Mandate - a process which will significantly delay going straight to court and filing a discrimination lawsuit.  

So, when should you appeal your termination through SPB first and when is it better to skip the SPB hearing and file a lawsuit in court? While there is no clear cut answer or a definitive rule to always know what's the best way to handle your situation, the following "classic" examples should provide you with a useful guideline:

* If your discipline or termination is not based on unlawful discrimination based on a protected classes, and it involves whether you were terminated for just case, or whether your termination was imposed fairly, then you should definitely appeal your dismissal through SPB, because you probably don't have a basis to sue in court anyway. You will have all the more reasons to to trough the SPB process is you are interested in keeping your job and being reinstated. The more witnesses you have that will support your side of the story, the more chances you have to prevail at the SPB hearing. 

* If, on the other hand, you believe you have a strong discrimination case based on disability, race, etc... and especially if your termination involves a more complicated ADA issue, such as failure to provide reasonable accommodations, retaliation for asserting disability rights, etc.., you are better off skipping the SPB process and not risking forfeiting your rights to sue for wrongful termination based on discrimination in court becasue of the adverse SPB ruling. 

For more information on public employee rights in California, please visit our Sacramento Labor and Employment Law Blog.