Employment
A full-time JAMS panelist since 2000, Judge Aitken has served as a mediator and arbitrator in a variety of employment cases and has extensive experience in settling cases involving race, gender, and age discrimination claims as well as breach of contract claims. Cases have involved financial institutions, educational institutions, various companies, securities firms, and law enforcement agencies.
As a King County Superior Court judge, she conducted settlement conferences on a weekly basis for 14 years and numerous trials involving issues of discrimination (including sexual, gender, and age), wrongful termination, retaliation, and employee/employer relations. Representative Matters
- Conducted numerous trials involving issues of sexual discrimination, gender discrimination, wrongful termination, retaliation, employee/employer relations and age discrimination.
- Arbitrated to award dispute between employee and company regarding claims of breach of contract, wrongful discharge, and damages
- Mediated age discrimination matter regarding bank employees in protected class being wrongfully terminated
- Mediated employment discrimination dispute concerning freedom of religion, specifically the right to pray at work
- Mediated sexual discrimination dispute involving privately employed person on military base
- Mediated to resolution breach of contract issues between professor and private university entailing notification of non-renewal and mismanagement of internal grievance process
- Mediated wrongful termination matter involving employees of various companies including hospital, grocery store, technology firm, and casino
- Resolved sexual harassment and hostile work environment matter involving employee at public university
- Settled breach of contract dispute concerning a company executive involving severance pay after dismissal