An Orange County Superior Court jury has awarded $3.68 million to plaintiff Lindsay Knott (“Knott”), a former executive at Birdwell California! LLC (“Birdwell”), an iconic surfwear brand founded in 1961.
Represented by the Miller Barondess team of Mira Hashmall, Wenfeng (Kevin) Su, and paralegal Ricky Reis, Knott won a unanimous verdict after a six-day jury trial before Judge Gassia Apkarian. On May 19, 2025, the jury awarded Knott $2.68 million in compensatory damages. Finding that Birdwell acted with malice, oppression, or fraud, the jury awarded Knott an additional $1 million in punitive damages during the second trial phase on May 21, 2025. The case is Lindsay Knott v. Birdwell California! LLC, et al. (Case No. 30-2022-01247207-CU-OE-CJC, filed Feb. 25, 2022). [Read the Daily Journal’s coverage here (login required).]
In 2019, Birdwell hired Knott as the only woman on its seven-member leadership team. She brought extensive eCommerce experience from surf and lifestyle brands like O’Neill, Volcom, and PrAna. Tasked with improving the brand’s online presence and shopping experience, she was subjected to a toxic, male-dominated “frat house” culture. Court documents detailed how male subordinates undermined her by skipping her meetings while attending those led by men, openly criticizing her, and using Slack to challenge her authority with inappropriate demands.
After Knott raised her concerns to management, the company subjected her to a pattern of retaliatory actions, including involuntary leave, culminating in her being forced to quit in January 2021. The jury unanimously awarded her past and future economic and non-economic damages and a significant punitive damages award. As a prevailing party, Knott will be entitled to seek her attorney’s fees and costs.