Compelling national story and interview about a brave female whistleblower that took on corporate America despite the tendency for female whistleblowers to experience more retaliation than their male counterparts after disclosing wrongdoings.
Stephanie Van de Motter was a successful property manager at The Irvine Company's flagship luxury building in California, which was home to many celebrities like Britney Spears, Michelle Pfeiffer, Larry David, and others.
In 2015, she was retaliated against and “constructively discharged” of her duties for reporting serious safety/code violations that endangered residents’ lives as TIC attempted to remediate systemic water intrusion and mold issues in the building she managed.
Stephanie is the first person to have won a whistleblowing lawsuit against The Irvine Company (TIC), one of the most powerful real estate companies in America and the largest landowner in California.
TIC’s CEO, Donald Bren, is the richest real estate mogul in the U.S., with a net worth of $16.4 billion (as of 2019). Yet, TIC has a documented history of safety violations and practices endangering its residents.
In February 2020, Stephanie was awarded $4 million (plus $3 million to cover legal fees). However, despite winning the lawsuit, she has not received any money, and those responsible for the transgressions still work at TIC.
The company is currently engaged in a similar litigation with the residents of its Newport Bluffs Apartment Village, some of whom had to evacuate due to toxic mold and other dangerous conditions.
