Waskowski Johnson Yohalem LLP Announces Judgment Totaling $13.97 Million Against Capital Group Entities

Judgment in favor of Christian Tétrault and against Capital Group Companies Global and The Capital Group Companies, Inc.

CHICAGO, IL, UNITED STATES, March 4, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Waskowski Johnson Yohalem LLP, Wucetich & Korovilas LLP and Law Offices of Angel J. Horacek, PC announce entry of judgment in favor of their client Christian Tétrault.

On March 3, 2026, the Honorable Wesley L. Hsu of the United States District Court for the Central District of California entered judgment totaling $13,975,466.41 in Mr. Tétrault’s favor, against The Capital Group Companies, Inc. and Capital Group Companies Global.

The lawsuit, filed on June 28, 2023, alleged that Mr. Tétrault, who is French-Canadian, was wrongfully terminated in retaliation for making internal complaints about national origin discrimination. Mr. Tétrault is an accomplished legal and tax executive with extensive experience in the U.S. and internationally who had received an “Outstanding” rating – the highest performance rating at Capital Group – for each of the last seven years of his employment, including the year he was terminated.

On October 3, 2025, the jury returned a unanimous verdict, finding in Mr. Tétrault’s favor on claims for retaliation in violation of the California Fair Employment and Housing Act, wrongful termination in violation of public policy, and wrongful termination in violation of Labor Code section 1102.5 (California’s general whistleblower statute), and awarding $843,391 in lost wages, $50,000 in emotional distress damages, and $4 million in punitive damages against each of the two Defendants, for a total jury verdict of $8,893,391.

In an order dated February 11, 2026, Judge Hsu denied Defendants’ challenge to the punitive damage and emotional distress portions of the verdict, finding that “Plaintiff presented sufficient proof at trial that Defendants ‘acted with a high degree of reprehensibility.’” Judge Hsu found that “Plaintiff presented evidence at trial from which a reasonable jury could conclude that Defendants acted with fraud, malice and oppression.” A jury could have found fraud, “because, although Defendants promised employees protection from retaliation if they made complaints regarding the workplace, Plaintiff was ultimately retaliated against for making such complaints.” Judge Hsu further found that “Plaintiff presented evidence to support his theory at trial that [Canise Arredondo, Chief Financial Officer of Capital Group] orchestrated a sham investigation designed to shut down Plaintiff’s comments.”

In separate orders, Judge Hsu awarded Plaintiff an additional amount of $4,580,675.77 in attorneys’ fees, as well as costs and prejudgment interest between the jury verdict and judgment.

"We are very proud of this result," said Waskowski Johnson Yohalem LLP partner Seth Yohalem, who served as lead counsel. "Christian was a very hard-working, high performing employee. Employees should feel free to raise discrimination concerns to their employers without having their careers derailed.”
In addition to Mr. Yohalem, the trial team consisted of attorneys Daniel R. Johnson, Dimitrios Korovilas and Angel J. Horacek, and law clerk Shannon Saul. Attorneys Adam Waskowski and Jason Wucetich also performed important work on the case.

“I am thrilled to have worked with such a talented group of lawyers bringing justice to Mr. Tétrault,” said Mr. Yohalem.
The case is Tétrault v. Capital Group Companies Global et al., Case No. 2:23-cv-05144-WLH-E. Waskowski Johnson Yohalem LLP is a law firm based in Chicago, Illinois. Wucetich & Korovilas LLP and Law Offices of Angel J. Horacek, PC are law firms based in Southern California.

Seth Yohalem
Waskowski Johnson Yohalem LLP
+1 312-278-3153
syohalem@wjylegal.com
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