I know I'm late to the party, but this is a great thread. Really enjoyed reading it and glad the apparently right outcome was reached.


I doubt the Board has any idea about this particular lawsuit. I sit on a number of boards and there is typically a dollar amount that is used as a materiality threshold for being included in the board pack. A GC or CEO might make an exception and include a small dollar suit if there was some greater headline value, but I doubt this matter would have made it.

When you are suing a big company, depending on your situation, often a good strategy is to send a copy of the lawsuit to the CEO and each board member (ideally at their residences), which will certainly get their attention. I have seen this tactic work exceptionally well to get a quick resolution.

I am surprised Ornitz would even defend a matter like this and would have expected them to just default on the court and let the judge impose whatever he/she wished. I'm reaching that point of view, however, assuming there is a maximum amount of damages that could be awarded by the California small claims court. There are low (~$5,000) judgement limits in a number of states for small claims court. I don't know CA's rules.