Foothill Federal Credit Union v. Superior Court

**What Happened** Employees named King sued Foothill Federal Credit Union for invasion of privacy and intentional infliction of emotional distress. The dispute arose when the credit union produced documents about the Kings in response to a court subpoena during separate legal proceedings. The Kings claimed this violated their privacy and caused them emotional harm. **What the Court Decided** The court ruled in favor of Foothill Federal Credit Union. The court found that when employers provide documents in response to a court subpoena during legal proceedings, they are protected by something called "litigation privilege." This legal protection prevented the Kings from successfully suing their employer for invasion of privacy or emotional distress related to turning over the documents. **Why This Matters for Workers** This ruling shows that workers generally cannot sue their employers for privacy violations when the employer is legally required to produce documents during court proceedings. If your employer receives a subpoena demanding workplace documents that contain your personal information, you typically cannot hold them liable for complying with that court order. However, this protection only applies when documents are produced through proper legal channels during actual court cases.