Gartner VP Fired for ‘Toxic’ Work Culture Loses Severance Suit

A Gartner Inc. vice president terminated after 10 months on the job lost his lawsuit seeking $150,000 in severance when a California federal court found he’d been fired for poor performance based on staff complaints about a “toxic work environment.”

With the exception of testimony from plaintiff Dorth Raphaely, the evidence “unequivocally supported the conclusion that Raphaely’s termination was for performance-related reasons,” Magistrate Judge Donna M. Ryu of the US District Court for the Northern District of California said Wednesday.

Raphaely’s supervisor indicated that his performance was subpar, and results from an employee survey contained “uniformly negative criticism of Raphaely, ...