February 1, 2009 - Email
Message - Jim.
Hi. I worked until late at night and early this morning and finally was able to
finish the 44 pronunciation videos. This puts an end to the most time consuming
video project to date.
Go to the English site.
http://funeasyenglish.com/
Click Pronunciation.
Then click on any of the lessons to see the videos.
Now I can actually relax today. Akiko and I plan to come over around 3:00 pm
today See you then.
Howie.
February 1, 2009 - Email
Message - Bjorn.
Hi. I worked until late at night and early this morning and finally was able to
finish the 44 pronunciation videos. This puts an end to the most time consuming
video project to date.
Go to the English site.
http://funeasyenglish.com/
Click Pronunciation.
Then click on any of the lessons to see the videos.
Now I can actually relax today. Hey, Akiko and I really enjoyed meeting you guys
at the bagel shop yesterday. It was four hours of talking which went really fast
for sure. Thanks again for the eggs. We ate four of them this morning in some
kind of omelet thingy.
Anyway, not really planning to go to the bagel shop on a regular basis anymore
as this was mostly a diversion for Akiko in the morning because of her suck job.
We will for sure come out though anytime to see you guys when you make the drive
down.
I really want to know if you guys are good about us coming up for the weekend
next week. I am really weird about imposing on people but we really do want to
come. If this really is no problem we plan to stay over again like last time
pending any of the following possible occurrences.
Global financial meltdown.
Riots at the Palomar Observatory (crazy astronomers).
Drive by sushi throwing Japanese.
Meteor slamming into the planet.
Ron Paul running around the streets naked.
Anyway, aside from these potentially disturbing events, we plan to come up. Send
email if you plan to go out to the bagel shop this week. Talk to you again.
Howie.
February 1, 2009 - Email
Message -
Um, oy ve pretty early but gonna go anyway to meet ME before work. Incidentally
the eggs taste much better when not store bought. Incredibly fresh. Feel free to
bring them anytime if buckets of them are sitting around. hehe. We can all
engage in some rocking conversation tomorrow. Until then.
February 2, 2009 - Email
Message - Jim.
Hi. I thought of a pretty good idea. In exchange for doing the taxes, maybe I
could make a 30 second promotional video for your company. Their would be two
versions. One would be with the SDCE site stuff at the beginning. The second
would be without the SDCE stuff which you could use as a regular advertising
spot which could be embedded anywhere on the Internet. Akiko and I really
enjoyed the other night. Send email when you can.
Howie.
February 2, 2009 - Email
Message -
Ry.
Hey, this is Howie and Akiko, customers at your store. I thought it would be a
good idea to send some of my Internet stuff with a bit of an explanation.
These are my sites.
http://funeasyenglish.com/
1600 pages, should reach about 10,000 visitors per day this summer.
Pronunciation section with 44 new videos. Took a lot of time to make.
http://funeasyenglish.com/american-english-pronunciation.htm
New classroom section. Putting a lesson per day.
http://funeasyenglish.com/classroom-free-online-english-language-lesson.htm
http://sandiegocaliforniaevents.com/
450 pages, not a money maker but we get tons of comp tickets to stuff around
town in exchange for posting events.
http://japaneselanguageculturefood.com/
1500 pages, my personal study site, now becoming pretty popular
YouTube account with our videos. Some are good, some are pretty freaking boring
but good for studying English.
http://www.youtube.com/user/FunEasyEnglish
Another YouTube account.
http://www.youtube.com/user/sandiegoevents
Took 2nd place in a Democratic Party of California video contest for this one
and received $3000.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12gPMTUJBWI&feature=channel_page
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4bMbZR7oIU&feature=channel_page
A few favorites.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KIaSeDO3bk&feature=channel_page
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3rlgHzFcuQ&feature=channel_page
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YK70uS_COoQ&feature=channel_page
Google Picasa account with some of our pictures.
http://picasaweb.google.com/FunEasyEnglish.com
This should keep you busy for awhile. Anyway, the videos you would be in would
be conversation videos. Basically different situations international students
might encounter. Funnier is better. Anyone in the videos would be listed in the
credits at the end. Good exposure if some of your friends are aspiring actors.
Planning to get this together within the next few weeks. Maybe we can do a
potluck at our place and talk about it. Akiko is a really good cook.
Incidentally our place is only a couple miles from your store. Anyway, send
email when you can.
Howie.
February 2, 2009 - Email
Message - Bjorn.
Hi. I am already preparing for coming up this weekend. Akiko is going to make a
really good appetizer. Something similar to qagh but a little more Japanese.
Hey, San Diego’s finest prognosticators….yeah right….are predicting quite the
little storm this weekend, actually supposed to be end of the week. They
originally predicted the snow levels to be pretty low and then subsequently took
it out of the forecast. Probably nothing to worry about as these guys are
usually about a half day off. Um, in any event, was kinda wondering if we could
come up Friday afternoon IF the storm comes as predicted to avoid any hassle
from the Municipal Corporation’s henchmen requiring all mountain travelers to
carry chains. Still planning to meet at the bagel shop Friday morning if you
guys are in town.
Send email when you can.
Howie.
February 4, 2009 - Email
Message - Takumi.
Hi. I want to let you know it will be no problem at all for you to stay with us.
Actually I began the spring cleaning of the house this week. Maybe you can bring
a cheap bottle of wine and you and I can get drunk together. Yeah very cool. We
can hang out together and catch up on everything. Again, no problem at all. Send
email when you can.
Howie.
February 4, 2009 - Email
Message - Shari.
Hi. I received email from one of my neighbors in the same building today. She
said we would be without hot water for three days and we would need to leave our
places for three days due to termite tenting of our building. I need to know the
dates of these events ASAP. Since you already know this information, I am
expecting you to send a reply today, NOT next week as usual. Thanks.
Howie.
February 4, 2009 - Email
Message - Shari.
Hi. I want to thank for replying this quickly. My neighbor tends to get a bit
excited about these things and decided it was better to get the information from
the source. Anyway, about the tenting. My wife and I plan to go back to Japan
for awhile next year and will definitely be sure to coordinate the trip to
coincide with the tenting. Keep us posted with any changes. Thank you again.
Howie.
February 4, 2009 - Email
Message - Bjorn.
Hi. I received your other emails but spent the last couple days working on
videos to get ahead before coming to your place. Could not reply as quickly as
usual.
About clicking the Google ads. Crap, now I owe you about 2.5 cents. hehe.
Actually though, be sure not to click to much as Google tracks IP addresses. Too
many clicks and they could ban your Internet from receiving some of the site
content.
About Ancient FM. Akiko and I now can happily, and merrily, listen to those
wonderful renaissance sounds streaming through the computer. The media player
will not work on my computer but works on the other computer.
About this Friday. Wondering if you guys can still meet at the bagel shop in the
morning. We are looking forward to it.
About this weekend. It looks like we will come up on Friday to avoid the
lowering snow levels and the potential requirement to need snow chains on
Saturday. There is a chance we could get snowed in at your place until Sunday.
Really wondering if this is no problem for you guys. We plan to bring a lot of
extra food.
We plan to bring the monster with us, aka our larger laptop. Yup, a bit of
Internet, Google gadget, and site design classes for you if you’re into it.
Since you and I will most likely be drunk, Akiko will be conducting the classes.
Akiko is using a translator program to upload our videos on foreign versions of
YouTube. While she was looking for YouTube like sites, she came across an
unbelievable porn site. Unbelievable in terms of popularity. The site is ranked
49 in Alexa for world sites. Incredible some of the stuff on the Internet.
Anyway, we will soon be seen throughout Russia, China, and Japan. This Internet
stuff is tons of fun. Cannot wait until you guys begin getting into it. Anyway,
send me an email when you can. Until then.
Howie.
February 4, 2009 - Email
Message -
Hey, not sure about the powder stuff and all but happy to work on the wood or
anything else if you need it. Probably cannot make the bagel shop tomorrow as we
need to finish up a lot of projects and I told Akiko she would not need to get
up early until Friday. Be fun to meet then. Hopefully Mary Ellen can hang out
for a bit before heading off to work. Anyway, trying to finish up a bunch of
videos. Should be on the computer until the wee hours. Send email if you are
online. Talk again.
February 4, 2009 - Email
Message -
Yup, sent email to the management company and found out. Heading up to the
mountains and staying with friends for the weekend. The tenting will not be done
this year. Check out the new pronunciation videos.
http://funeasyenglish.com/american-english-pronunciation.htm
Click on any lesson.
Thanks.
February 5, 2009 - Email
Message -
Um, assuming no bagel shop then. We will be coming up in the early afternoon
with plenty of goodies. Until then.
February 6, 2009 - Email
Message - Bjorn.
Hey, I wanted to make sure the roads are pretty descent up there. Now we are
really getting a lot of rain. Been up working for a while. Akiko will get up
soon to make the food for the weekend. Anyway, send email about the
precipitation and roads when you can.
Howie.
February 6, 2009 - Email
Message - Bjorn.
Hey, related to your useful email, I uploaded a few porno videos. Um, not really
porn but made them to prove a point. Will talk about this more when we come up.
Go to the classroom and click on the February 9 link to see the videos.
Akiko is done cooking and getting ready to head up there. Probably offline from
now. See you in a few hours. Until then.
Howie.
February 9, 2009 - Email
Message - Bjorn, Mary Ellen.
Hi. Akiko and I really want to thank you guys for this past weekend. We really
enjoyed ourselves. It was really foggy on the way down the mountain. Then it was
raining quite a bit on the freeway. Now it is really pouring. No doubt you guys
are getting tons of snow this morning. Anyway, I plan to get tons of videos and
other site stuff done this week. Not sure if you were kidding about coming up
next weekend but going to prepare the other computer to bring if we really do
get together. There is supposed to be another storm next weekend. We would
probably bring hot food this time, like curry or something which would fit
better on a snowy weekend. Anyway see what happens this week with your work and
stuff. As for us, today is a nice day to stay in and work on the computer and
watch the rain. Nice but not quite as nice as looking at the snow in your yard.
Keep thinking of names for your site….your homework. Send email when you can.
Howie, Akiko.
February 9, 2009 - Email
Message - Marie.
Hi. I want to be really straight about this. Now with Akiko being pregnant and
home every day we really value our privacy. Recently we stayed in the mountains
with our friends up in Palomar and many friends coming for dinner or staying as
house guests. It is a really nice time for us.
We are already renting a room to a guy, who is also my friend, which would not
be possible if it was anyone else. This guy is extremely quiet and literally
stays in his room the entire time except for eating. It is almost like there is
no roommate. Usually I am only going to rent to women. Anyway, assuming your BF
is not college student age, it would be impossible for me to stay in the same
house with someone older, who is not related to me, who is a guy, and who is set
in his ways.
Was kind of wondering if you considered him staying with your sister, which
seems like the obvious choice.
Anyway, hopefully you understand. Nice to know you are back in a relationship
again. Send email when you can.
Howie.
February 9, 2009 - Email
Message -
marilyn.
No and this is total bullshit. Wondering why these assholes cannot wait until
the Summer to do this stuff. Sure you can use the showers in the recreation room
but who wants to walk out there when it is pouring rain. Really pissed off now.
February 9, 2009 - Email
Message - Bjorn.
Hi. I kinda figured you would get more snow up there. We shoulda stayed longer.
We cannot take a shower as the meter is still off. Suppose they are waiting for
SDGE to turn everything on again. Condos suck.
Anyway, we will most likely come up again next weekend if it is not a problem
for you guys. You should get a fair amount of snow again next week if the
predictions come to fruition. We plan to bring a couple of different warm meals
this time. We would come up maybe Friday again to avoid the throngs of city
dwelling snow collectors and depending on the updated forecast. Let us know if
this works for you.
About the recorder site stuff. The dude in the YouTube video was a bit creepy.
You could do much better. Keep on making the list of site names.
About the making the videos. I would like to make two different sets of videos
with you next weekend. One set will be of you playing your various instruments.
I would like you to send a list of the instruments you plan to play, hopefully
all of them. You could also send some very basic information about each
instrument if you want. I can get this information if you are too busy. These
videos will be posted to the English YouTube account and embedded on the English
site.
The other set of videos will be of you discussing your views about many of the
topics we talked about over bagels and wine during our various meetings. I am
not going to include subtitles for these videos as this would obviously be too
time consuming. These videos will be posted to the SD YouTube account and
embedded on the SD site.
Ask Mary Ellen when she needs to leave the bagel shop on Wednesday. Might be
able to talk Akiko into going early.
Send email when you can.
Howie.
February 9, 2009 - Email
Message - Shari.
Hi. I was holding off complaining about this for as long as possible but this is
ridiculous. My wife and I spent the weekend up in the mountains with friends
this past weekend due to the utilities being off. We expected everything to be
turned on already. We understand the showers in the recreation building are
unaffected but who wants to walk out in the rain to use them. Really cannot
understand why they do not wait until the Summer to do this stuff when it would
be more convenient for everyone. Want to know when everything will be back to
normal. Send an answer as soon as you can.
Howie.
February 9, 2009 - Email
Message -
marilyn.
Yup, this is total bullshit. Already sent an email to the manager, her manager
and the owner of MEAN ASS management company. They said no idea when everything
will be back to normal. Cannot believe many residents spent the last few days in
a hotel. We were at our friends house up in Palomar from Friday until Sunday
night and expected everything to be back to normal already. You are completely
justified in being pissed off about all this.
February 9, 2009 - Email
Message -
Hey, I was thinking. If you guys decided to get a router, then we could all do
an Internet and site party on your dining table. It would be totally cool. The
routers are only about 40 bucks for a linksys brand. You could still keep your
other computers hardwired upstairs. Let me know if you need any more
information.
February 10, 2009 - Email
Message - Mary Ellen.
Hi. Akiko and I can make it Thursday morning at 7:30 no problem. We are thinking
about coming up this weekend, but quite honestly, we don’t want to overstay our
welcome. Akiko being Japanese, makes her really worry about these things. We
really want to know this is not a problem for you guys. We are making a warm
food plan if we do come up though.
Anyway, the recorder names are really good. Already many thoughts on why some
would be better. The router is an excellent idea. You can use the computer
anywhere in your house and you can build in some good security. These things are
pretty cheap and well worth it. We can do an Internet party at your dining room
table. Fun stuff.
If you get it this week, we can all work on setting it up. You might consider
going to Best Buy in Santee and talking to Robert. If you go, tell him the guy
from Buffalo with the Japanese wife sent you. Trying anytime to find a
knowledgeable salesperson and this guy knows his stuff.
Now working on a long overdue project. Completely redoing the site pages to make
them more user friendly. Now updating about 160 grammar pages. The cutting and
pasting extravaganza. Pretty boring. Anyway, talk to you in a couple days. Until
then.
Howie.
February 12, 2009 - Email
Message - Valerie.
Hi. I can meet you at the bagel shop next week with Akiko if you want. Many
things to talk about. I want to know what happened with the other parent. You do
not need to talk about it if you do not want to. Tomorrow is the gay marriage
lesson on the English site. You might want to get your friends to post something
on the board. Send email when you can.
Dad.
February 12, 2009 - Email
Message - Mary Ellen.
Hi. Akiko and I enjoyed meeting you too. Plenty of fun talking anytime.
Really surprised the store is not stocking the program. Anyway, going to try to
find the other program for you to load onto your computer. I think if we all put
our heads together, we can get the router going though.
Anyway, it looks like we will head up there tomorrow towards the early evening.
This way you will not need to make dinner. The storm should begin in the late
afternoon and they expect a fair amount of snow. The storm on Sunday should
bring a lot more though.
Anyway, Akiko is making the food tonight and I should be online for awhile.
Thank you for the tax links. Going to get into that garbage sometime next week.
Talk to you again.
Howie.
February 13, 2009 - Email
Message - Mary Ellen.
Hi. Actually riding with us would be not problem except for two things.
You would need to park your car on the street since we already told our roommate
he could park in our spot over the long weekend.
The other thing is we need to take a straight shot to your place. Akiko gets
really car sick. In fact we might take 15 to 76 this time. The other way is too
bumpy for her.
Anyway, let me know what you think.
Akiko made tons of food. The curry should be two meals. We also bought garlic
bread to go with the lasagna. We are bringing other stuff too. This should be
really fun.
Send email about all this when you can.
Howie.
February 13, 2009 - Email
Message -
Meenakshi.
Hi. I think Akiko and I will stay in SD until the end of the year. Yes of course
we want to see you again. We are pretty free next month and would like to get
together for dinner again. Talk to you again.
Howie.
February 13, 2009 - Email
Message - Bjorn.
Hi. I received email from ME and it looks like we will be driving separately. No
doubt you know about the news from Buffalo. Kind of hanging around a bit longer
today as we are receiving a lot of email from friends in Buffalo. Some friends
affected, although not directly so far. Anyway, we plan to get up there late
afternoon if possible to stay ahead of the approaching storm.
Please send email and let us know when someone will be at your house. Thanks.
Howie.
February 13, 2009 - Email
Message -
Hey, wondering if ME is planning to drive in with us on Monday. Friends in RB
want to see us. Thinking about going there on the way back. Send email when you
can.
February 13, 2009 - Email
Message -
Hi. Actually things are getting kind of frenzied now. Still trying to get out of
the house but a few things came up. Back toilet needs repair. Getting tons of
crap from a friend from my home town for not posting about Buffalo events. Akiko
really wants to leave early because of the storm. Trying to post two more class
videos. oy ve, quite a day. Really looking foward to some cheap wine and
relaxing tonight. Will keep you updated on the efforts to leave. Until then.
February 13, 2009 - Email
Message -
Pretty close to leaving now. Gonna be offline.
February 13, 2009 - Email
Message -
Hey, more shit. A bit of a truck issue but nothing out of control. Need to top
off some fluids and then ready to go. We need at least another hour. Convinced
Akiko the storm is not a problem and can leave in a bit. Tell ME she can come
over and go with us if she wants. We would need to go straight to your house
though. Akiko gets pretty car sick sometimes on the drive. We could also come up
tomorrow if more convenient. Give the working girl a much deserved time out from
driving. Going outside to do the truck and then back online for your answer.
February 13, 2009 - Email
Message -
Um, actually we are kind of ready to go now and thought she might want to go
with us tonight????
February 13, 2009 - Email
Message -
Guess this is getting a bit confusing hehe. Akiko is all ready to go and maybe
wants to go today but gonna ask her. Crazy stuff.
February 13, 2009 - Email
Message -
We forgot about the potential for many people tomorrow on the road up the
mountain.
February 13, 2009 - Email
Message -
We are packed and would like to come up tonight if no problem. Any chance for ME
to come over today and go????
February 13, 2009 - Email
Message -
Yup, see you soon then.
February 20, 2009 - Email
Message - Hey guys.
We might be at the bagel store tomorrow. Slept in today after feeling like crap
for the last couple days. The workout in the mountains was the beginning. Spent
the next day Wednesday cleaning and vacuuming on my hands and knees preparing
the place for our friend who stayed with us that night. Drank too much and then
on Thursday, was felling pretty awful. We were supposed to go shopping today
which now will be tomorrow. Anyway, we might be able to meet for a bit in the
morning if you guys plan to be there. Either way keep us posted about your
progress on the site. Talk to you again.
Howie, Akiko.
February 22, 2009 - Email
Message - Mary Ellen.
Hi. I think we can make it on Monday but not sure. For some reason, really wiped
out this week. If not, definitely communicate though email about site stuff.
Finally caught up on the videos. Talk to you again.
Howie.
February 22, 2009 - Email
Message - Valerie.
Hi. I was thinking about what a good kid you are. Really miss hanging out with
you. Actually the last Monday you wanted to meet, me and Akiko were stuck up in
the mountains because of the snow. Try and reschedule. I miss you a lot. Send
email when you can.
Dad.
February 22, 2009 - Email
Message -
Hi. We will definitely try to make it and thanks for the update. The videos are
pretty boring grammar stuff….prepare yourself. Anyway, we are marketing like
crazy and Akiko is really getting into her cooking site. This should be really
fun when all these sites come together. Anyway, hang in there with moving, work,
and all the municipal crap. Talk to you soon. Until then.
Howie Akiko.
February 23, 2009 - Email
Message - Mary Ellen.
Hi. Akiko and I cannot meet for breakfast this week. We decided to get all the
BS done this week, including work related stuff, the car, and other things. We
are a bit depressed too and considering going to Japan early. We prefer to meet
you guys next week when everything is done and we can be more fun. You can still
send email this week with any questions about site stuff. Hopefully your week
will be good. Send email when you can.
Howie.
February 23, 2009 - Email
Message -
Dear Mr. Rodenbo.
I am writing to you on behalf of my wife, Akiko Hayman, who was recently
terminated from her company, we believe, due to her current pregnancy. We
initially were not planning any legal action against her company, but reflecting
back on the entire situation along with recent developments in the company, has
prompted us to now consider taking legal action. We are looking for an attorney
who will take the case on a contingency basis. Please contact us at our email
address for any additional information you may require in making your
determination to take the case. Thank you very much for your consideration in
this matter.
Sincerely,
Howie Hayman
Akiko Hayman.
February 23, 2009 - Email
Message - To Whom It May Concern.
I am writing to you on behalf of my wife, Akiko Hayman, who was recently
terminated from her company, we believe, due to her current pregnancy. We
initially were not planning any legal action against her company, but reflecting
back on the entire situation along with recent developments in the company, has
prompted us to now consider taking legal action. We are looking for an attorney
who will take the case on a contingency basis. Please contact us at our email
address for any additional information you may require in making your
determination to take the case. Thank you very much for your consideration in
this matter.
Sincerely,
Howie Hayman
Akiko Hayman.
February 23, 2009 - Email
Message - Howie and Akiko. My name is Michael Moore. Jason Rodenbo and I work cases together. I don't know if Akiko is native Japanese speaker or not, but I speak Japanese and have represented many Japanese in employment matters. Including a very recent case, that just settled before trial, for pregnancy discrimination. It was against a Japanese company here in San Diego and I was able to establish the discrimination and obtain a very large settlement (over 200k) for my client. If you like, please call or email me with more information. Sincerely, Michael E. Moore.
February 23, 2009 - Email
Message - Michael.
Hi. I would like to thank you for replying so quickly. Akiko and I began our
search for an attorney today and are waiting for two other offices to send
information. Before we go any further with this, we would need to know if your
company takes cases on a contingency basis as this is the only way we would be
willing to proceed. Akiko is a native Japanese speaker and was happy she would
be able to converse with you about her case. Please send email at your earliest
convenience.
Sincerely,
Howie and Akiko.
February 23, 2009 - Email
Message -
Howie.
Yes, all my employment cases are done on a contingency fee basis. I advertise in
the YuYu. I usually only represent plaintiffs and have successfully sued the
majority of large Japanese corporations that have a presence in San Diego. I
recently prevailed on two very large pregnancy discrimination cases – one was
against a multinational Japanese corporation and another against a very large
publicly traded California Corporation.
Just call or write and let me know the details of Akiko’s termination that lead
you to believe it was discriminatory.
Sincerely,
Michael E. Moore.
February 23, 2009 - Email
Message - Michael.
Hi. We are going to put together a brief synopsis of the situation and send it
to you tomorrow. Akiko is much more comfortable speaking Japanese and is happy
we found someone with whom she can communicate with in her native language.
Again, we are going to get our thoughts together and send you the information
tomorrow.
Due to your promptness and ability to speak Japanese, we already made the
decision to work with you should you decide to take this case.
Thank you very much for your time. We look forward to meeting you personally to
discuss the merits of her case. Talk to you soon. Until then.
Sincerely,
Howie and Akiko.
February 23, 2009 - Email
Message -
Great! I’ll look for your email.
Sincerely,
Michael E. Moore.
February 24, 2009 - Email
Message - Michael.
Hi. The following information pretty much covers why Akiko thinks she has a
strong pregnancy discrimination case.
Akiko was hired to work at Pleasant Holidays, a Mission Valley travel company,
on February 20, 2008. She was hired as a product automation agent and retained
that position until her last day of work for the company. During her 11 months
of employment with this company there was always plenty of work available for
her to complete. In fact, she was offered overtime on numerous occasions due to
the workload in her department and the lack of staff available to complete this
work.
Akiko worked above and beyond what others in the company and in her department
worked. In fact, Akiko consistently was able to find errors in the existing
software which the company utilized in the online segment of their business.
Akiko was often praised as being an excellent employee by both company managers
and fellow employees alike. She was told many times that her job was secure and
she need not ever worry about losing her job or her position with the company.
Akiko was also inline for additional training in the accounting aspects of the
company along with other departments. We were so confident about the stability
of her employment, we initiated steps towards purchasing a new single family
residence.
Akiko discovered she was pregnant in early December 2008. She waited
approximately two weeks to be sure of the pregnancy before telling her manager
the news. Her manager was informed of the pregnancy sometime during the middle
of December 2008.
After the manager knew of the pregnancy, things at work began to change for
Akiko. The managers she worked with on a regular basis began to be short with
her and some even avoided making eye contact. Akiko would often send email to
these same managers about errors she found in the software. The emails were
ignored and no reply was sent. After a couple weeks of this, it began to affect
Akiko emotionally. She would come home upset and depressed and went to sleep
soon after eating dinner every night. It became increasing more difficult for
her to get up the energy to go to work. Because of her Japanese upbringing she
still felt very devoted and loyal to the company and continued to do an
excellent job at work even though the attitude towards her had changed.
Then on January 29, 2009, with no previous notice whatsoever, she was told her
job was terminated and was asked to leave the company immediately. We believe
the company planned the termination to coincide with end of the month to avoid
payment of any additional benefits. Akiko was put in the position of being
without medical benefits immediately and had to cancel an appointment with her
gynecologist for the following week which has been scheduled weeks before.
The stress from this situation greatly affected Akiko and she became nauseous
and very unhappy. Even considering the situation, Akiko was unwilling to make a
case against the company. It was only recently that she realized the injustice
of what the company put her through which made her decide to take action against
the company.
We are asking you to please review the merits of this case and represent her in
this matter.
Thank you very much for your consideration. Please contact us at your earliest
convenience. Thank you again.
Sincerely,
Howie and Akiko.
February 24, 2009 - Email
Message - Joe.
Hi. I would like you to please cancel the insurance on the 1994 Toyota Camry
ASAP. The car is not running and we are getting rid of it this week.
We are keeping the insurance on the 1990 Toyota 4Runner.
Send a statement to reflect any refund or any money owed.
Please send email to confirm you received this. Thanks.
Howie Hayman.
6840 Hyde Park Drive, Unit C
San Diego, California 92119.
February 24, 2009 - Email
Message -
Appears to be an inference of pregnancy discrimination, given the proximity of
the termination to the notification of pregnancy. Did they give her any reason
for her termination, e.g., downsizing, economics, poor work performance, etc.?
February 24, 2009 - Email
Message - Michael.
Hi. These are the answers to your questions.
Did they give her any reason for her termination, e.g., downsizing, economics,
poor work performance, etc.?
They told her they were laying her off due to the poor economy and her position
was no longer needed.
Was she salary or hourly employee?
Hourly.
What was her pay rate at time of termination?
$13.31 per hour.
What was her job title?
Product Automation Agent.
What were her job duties?
Data entry, processing information.
How many people worked for the company (not just San Diego, but State wide)?
Not exactly sure but approximately 200, this is really a guesstimate.
How many employees at San Diego location?
Approximately 30.
Please forward me a copy of her current resume and last couple of pay stubs –
preferably by pdf.
We cannot get this information to you until tonight. A friend of ours has a
scanner and would be able to scan the information and then we can send it to
you. Hopefully this is acceptable.
Additional note. There were two other people laid off at the same time but we
think this was possibly a smokescreen to get rid of Akiko. The company has, on
numerous occasions, fired employees and then hired them back.
Please send email if you require any additional information.
Howie and Akiko.
February 24, 2009 - Email
Message -
Meenakshi.
Hi. I am trying to get many things together since Akiko is not working now. We
want to see you guys and can probably make it on the March 7 for dinner. Will
send email to confirm soon. Send email when you can.
Howie.
February 24, 2009 - Email
Message - Bjorn.
Hi. We are pretty much in for the week and trying to get everything done at the
same time. All the insurance bullshit and other unfinished projects are kind of
getting to us this week. Now we decided to focus and finish everything before
going out and enjoying ourselves. Should be back to normal and can meet next
week. Akiko and I really need to be out of the house again. Send email when you
can.
Howie.
February 25, 2009 - Email
Message - Michael.
Hi. We were unable to get the pay information scanned and decided to wait until
your determination about the case. Please let us know if this information is
immediately necessary for your determination and we will try to get the pay
information to you as soon as possible. Thanks.
Howie and Akiko.
February 25, 2009 - Email
Message -
Howie.
The next step is to have a meeting. The pay information and resume are important
to determine potential damages in the case. These cases are based upon
inferences, i.e., that the reasons given were an unlawful pretext to the real
reason of pregnancy. These are issues of fact to be determined by a jury. So, a
meeting will help me get more of a "feel" for the company and Akiko. I'm
extremely busy this week, but will be available next Tuesday or Thursday
afternoon - preferrably at 1:30 p.m. Let me know if this works for you. If these
dates or times are not available for you/Akiko, please let me know alternative
times of availability. At the appointment, you can bring the documents.
Sincerely,
Michael E. Moore.
February 26, 2009 - Email
Message - Jim.
Hi. We are working on the sites and getting ready to go to Japan towards the end
of this year. Been busy and not going to the bagel shop. We should be pretty
caught up after this week and will go occasionally. Yeah, should get together
soon. Talk to you again.
Howie.
February 26, 2009 - Email
Message - Joe.
Hi. I am sending the form you requested. This past year Akiko and I went on a
couple trips to northern California and drove a lot. Now we are home and working
together on our Internet businesses. We drive to the grocery store and back a
couple times a week. Aside from that now the truck is basically not used. Send
email if you need additional information. Thanks.
Howie.
February 26, 2009 - Email
Message - Michael.
Hi. I wanted to mention a couple things we thought of the other night. Akiko
said out of the three offices nationwide, only the SD office has her department.
She said that there were approximately 15 people in her department when her job
was terminated and she was the only one to be fired. In addition, beginning this
month they are making people in her department work on the weekends to pick up
the slack due to an increased work load in the department. Go figure. Anyway,
please add this information to the file. See you next week. Until then.
Howie and Akiko.
February 26, 2009 - Email
Message - Mary Ellen.
Hi. We really want to meet you guys but need a couple more days to get our stuff
done. Next week will be good for us. Akiko is pretty determined to stay in this
country for awhile but the way things are going with the economy and everything,
my thinking is to go to Japan. Either way making a good beginning this week
towards moving. Hey, send some news about your progress on the site. We plan to
make a couple new sites next month. Talk to you again.
Howie.
|
|
|