Jenna Rangel

Bio

Jenna Rangel is a partner with Haeggquist & Eck and represents employees in claims involving wrongful termination, discrimination, sexual harassment, retaliation, and wage and hour violations at work. Jenna also represents students who have faced discrimination and sexual harassment by their universities under Title IX.

To Jenna, every detail matters — and she prides herself on developing and nurturing open, trusting relationships with her clients. Jenna approaches every day as an opportunity to stand up for her clients, to help right the wrongs perpetrated by their employers or universities, and to provide closure to her clients so they can move forward with their lives.

Before joining HAE, Jenna worked at a small full-service firm where she focused primarily on employment litigation and counseled employers on a variety of compliance issues.  She credits this invaluable experience with her ability to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the matters she now handles for employees.

She has represented clients against such employers as Herbalife, Wyndham, and the Grand Del Mar, as well as government entities like the San Diego Sheriff’s Department, the Orange County Fire Authority, and the County of San Diego. In 2021, together with HAE managing partner Alreen Haeggquist, Jenna successfully represented a San Diego Sheriff’s Department secretary at trial in a sexual harassment case against the department and its former assistant sheriff. In 2018, she and Haeggquist represented a female scientist in a well-publicized case against The Salk Institute that resulted in a confidential settlement.

A native San Diegan, Jenna graduated in 2010 from California Western School of Law, where her tireless dedication to public interest causes, including work for the California Women’s Law Center on matters relating to gender discrimination and for the County of San Diego’s Juvenile Dependency Division assisting in the representation of foster children in court, earned her a spot on the school’s Pro Bono Honor Society. Jenna holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and marketing from California State University-Chico and a paralegal certificate from the University of San Diego.  In her free time, she enjoys traveling and spending time with her husband and young kids.

Education

• J.D., California Western School of Law
  • Pro Bono Honors Society
• B.A., Business Administration and Marketing, California State University-Chico
• Paralegal Certificate, University of San Diego

Awards

• Leaders in Law Finalist, San Diego Business Journal (2021)
• Super Lawyers Rising Star (2019, 2020)
• Best of the Bar, San Diego Business Journal (2017)

Notable Cases

• Desiree Horton v. Orange County Fire Authority, et al., Orange County Superior Court Case No. 30-2021-01200267-CU-WT-CJC (2021) – A currently-pending gender discrimination lawsuit on behalf of 31-year female helicopter fire pilot who was wrongfully terminated after her one-year probationary period with the OCFA. Los Angeles Times article: https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-06-10/female-pilot-sues-orange-county-fire-agency-for-discrimination
• Nicholas Yphantides v. County of San Diego, U.S. District Court – Southern District of California Case No. ‘21CV1575 GPC BLM (2021) – A currently-pending mental disability discrimination lawsuit on behalf of San Diego County’s former Chief Medical Officer who was terminated during the COVID-19 pandemic after he disclosed his disability and required medical leave. San Diego Union Tribune article: https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/health/story/2021-09-08/former-chief-medical-officer-sues-county-for-discrimination
• Louise LaFoy v. County of San Diego, et al., San Diego County Superior Court Case No. 37-2018-00029453-CU-OE-CTL (2018) – A 2021 bench trial victory on behalf of a longtime female administrative professional of the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department who was sexually harassed by the Assistant Sheriff. San Diego Union Tribune article: https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/courts/story/2021-05-08/staffer-awarded-60k-in-sexual-harassment-allegations-targeting-former-assistant-sheriff
• Christina Murphy, et al. v. FHR GDM Hotel Management Company, LLC, San Diego County Superior Court Case No. 37-2019-00010853-CU-WT-CTL (2019) – Representation of two female massage therapists who were sexually harassed by male patrons of the Fairmont Grand Del Mar Hotel. This matter resolved by confidential settlement. San Diego Union Tribune article: https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/courts/sd-me-sexual-harassment-lawsuit-grand-del-mar-20190227-story.html
• Beverly M. Emerson, Ph.D v. The Salk Institute for Biological Studies, San Diego County Superior Court Case No. 37-2017-00026375-CU-OE-CTL (2017) – A gender discrimination lawsuit on behalf of an internationally renowned female scientist who was denied equal benefits and treatment throughout her 30-year tenure with the Salk. This matter resolved by confidential settlement. New York Times article: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/18/magazine/salk-institute-discrimination-science.html

Other Media

• 30+ Minutes of Fame w/ Carinna Connelly at SDSU, Piper Mitchell at Duke University, Jenna Rangel at Haeggquist & Eck, LLP, and Adam Sloustcher at Fisher Phillips, Bleav in Sports Law Podcast (November 1, 2021): https://bleav.com/shows/bleav-in-sports-law/episodes/30-minutes-of-fame-w-carinna-connelly-at-sdsu-piper-mitchell-at-duke-university-jenna-rangel-at-haeggquist-eck-llp-and-adam-sloustcher-at-fisher-phillips/
• Unsafe at Work: A look at harassment, discrimination inside San Diego County’s largest employers, San Diego Union Tribune (June 13, 2021): https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/watchdog/story/2021-06-13/unsafe-at-work-a-look-at-harassment-discrimination-inside-san-diego-countys-largest-employers
• A Hidden COVID-19 Risk Factor: Your Boss, The Atlantic (June 1, 2020): https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/06/sick-leave-covid-time-off/612361/

Community Involvement

• Juvenile Dependency Division, Office of the San Diego County Public Defender
• California Women’s Law Center
• Consumer Attorneys of San Diego
• Lawyers Club of San Diego
• San Diego County Bar Association