Marin COVID-19 whistleblower wins $1.3M judgment

Marin Independent Journal
July 16, 2023

A Marin County jury has awarded a nearly $1.3 million judgment to a Fairfax resident who claimed he was fired in 2020 after objecting to his employer’s alleged violation of COVID-19 restrictions.

“I lost my job for doing what was right,” said James Caldwell, who had worked as a salesperson at the Home Consignment Center in San Rafael for 11 years.

The judgment was awarded July 7. Brad Weintraub, an attorney for the business, declined to comment.

Caldwell, 59, earned about $40,000 to $45,000 a year while working at the San Rafael store. He said he is now making more in his new job reading meters for the Marin Municipal Water District.

“I didn’t mind struggling because I was doing what I loved,” he said. “It was my passion.”