Jeffrey Yang v. Global Win Capital Corporation, et al.

Case Background

On November 24, 2020, Jeffrey Yang filed a wrongful termination lawsuit against Global Win Capital Corporation, alleging that the company retaliated against him for whistleblowing. The lawsuit was filed in the Los Angeles Superior Court, California. Hon. Joseph Lipner presided over this lawsuit. [Case number: 20STCV45192]

Cause

Global Win hired Plaintiff as chief financial officer in September 2017. He worked in this role until October 2019. He alleged that the company retaliated against him after he reported suspected illegal activities to eight company supervisors. These activities included inflating a subsidiary’s appraisal value, engaging in improper accounting, transferring funds from China without authorization, and requesting fake documents for the CEO’s immigration paperwork.

Plaintiff also argued that Global Win violated his executive employment agreement. He resigned, citing a valid reason, but the company allegedly refused to pay him more than $1 million in severance.

Damages

The Plaintiff sought contract damages, past lost earnings, compensation for emotional distress, and punitive damages.

Key Arguments and Proceedings

Legal Representation

  • Plaintiff(s): Jeffrey Yang
    • Counsel for Plaintiff(s): Tamara S. Freeze | Brian Hannemann
  • Defendant(s): Global Win Capital Corporation
    • Counsel for Defendant(s): Holly Lake | Melanie Walker

Claims

The Defendant breached its contract by failing to honor the executive employment agreement, which promised $1,080,000.

Defendant also retaliated against Plaintiff for whistleblowing, violating California Labor Code Section 1102.5, and wrongfully terminating him.

Plaintiff resigned for a valid reason under his agreement after Global Win significantly reduced his CFO responsibilities. He also claimed the company made false accusations to hide its retaliatory actions.

Defense

The Defendant denied all allegations and argued that the Plaintiff violated his fiduciary duty as an officer.

Jury Verdict

On November 19, 2024, after a 15-day trial, the jury deliberated for three hours before awarding the Plaintiff $2,207,290.07. The jury found in favor of the Plaintiff on claims of breach of contract and whistleblower retaliation, awarding damages as follows:

Economic Damages:
Past lost earnings: $168,290.07
Contract damages: $1,080,000

Non-Economic Damages:
Past emotional distress: $200,000

Punitive Damages:
$800,000

The jury also ruled in favor of the Defendant on its counterclaim for breach of fiduciary duty, awarding $41,000.

Court Documents:

Documents are available for purchase upon request at jurimatic@exlitem.com