Complaint Review: Joan Woodward

I wanted to file this report about a co-worker I worked with at Pillsbury Winthrop in 2002. Ms. Joan Woodward had previously worked with us as a temporary in 1999 and left in an abrupt, unprofessional manner without reporting back to work. In spite of this irrational unprofessional demeanor, Mary Sainsbury, the WP Manager, still hired her years later.

Ms. Woodward was not a very good legal word processor and, in fact, was having much difficulty doing her job without my and others assistance. Ms. Woodward often relied on my helping her do her job beyond average. I thought it was just because she was new and in need of guidance but it later came to light that Ms. Woodward was not really qualified to be a Legal Word Processor.

Ms. Woodward began to involve me in her serious personal problems in which she filed a temporary retraining order against her boyfriend, Michael Jensen in 1999. She was frightened of him and he was stalking her. I tried to provide support to Ms. Woodward by lending an ear. Ms. Woodward also relayed to me her grandfather had tried to get her evicted from his property twice and failed to do so.

Later Ms. Woodward, who had a highly humorous fun personality at times, would joke with me about wanting to put rat poison in her grandfather's coffee so she could inherit his estate. She also put it in writing. Ms. Woodward also shared that she had a plan of escape from the old man to obtain a credit card in his name, as the property she lived at was his property, and to take off to another state. Ms. Woodward later informed me she had committed credit card fraud having implemented her plan.

Ms. Sainsbury, the WP manager at Pillsbury learned that I was communicating with Ms. Woodward she previously had no knowledge of our friendship. I had learned through Ms. Woodward that Ms. Sainsbury had purchased a birthday gift for Ms. Woodward claiming it was from the law firm. The law firm did not provide b-day gifts to its employees and it was from Ms. Sainsbury.

Ms. Sainsbury was disturbed that Ms. Woodward was possibly sharing this information regarding her gift and support Ms. Woodward with me. Ms. Sainsbury then began intervening to manipulate Ms. Woodward's psychological state to make it appear it was wrong to be communicating with me about anything other than work related matters.

Ms. Woodward was having trouble in her personal life, where Ms. Sainsbury had to call the police to locate her. Ms. Sainsbury gave Ms. Woodward many chances to come into work and on time. On one occasion Ms. Woodward was blaming me for her problems and complained I caused her to forget her glasses at home.

After Ms. Woodward was fired, I feared that Ms. Woodward in her unstable mental state, would implicate and blame me for her problems as she did at Pillsbury Winthrop. She was sending slanderous emails about her claim I was harassing her to the entire WP department. I had contacted her grandfather forwarding him Ms. Woodward's documents related to credit card fraud and fantasies of poisoning his coffee, etc. She was upset and was slandering me to other employees, to the point that the law firm had to call a consultant to sort out what had happened.

Joan Woodward had severe personal problems and expected special treatment at a law firm I had worked very hard, long hours at. I was underpaid and overworked, cramped into sharing a desk with 2 other shifts. I started there in the graveyard shift.

Thanks to Ms. Woodward's hysteria, Mary Sainsbury began to lie about the quality of my work and continually pressured me to leave my position. Ms. Sainsbury favored Ms. Woodward who was a mess, who performed her job poorly, who didn't show up to work twice, who was late several times, who didn't do any overtime who was a poorly skilled Legal Word Processor.

I, on the other hand, had few complaints and so Ms. Sainsbury resorted to lying about me to the H.R. person, lying that my work quality was poor. I remained at Pillsbury Winthrop for 3.5 years but will never forget the slanderous, vicious nature of Joan Woodward, a person full of many problems who sought to make me suffer in my job for trying to provide support through her difficulties.

I learned a lesson - never, ever to lend support to any co-worker for their personal problems. They will drag you down with them.

Joan Woodward's cases:

Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco

Case Number: CUD-00-174538
Title: WOODWARD, EDWARD G. vs. WOODWARD, JOAN E.
Cause of Action: UNLAWFUL DETAINER - RESIDENTIAL


Case Number: CUD-00-176930
Title: WOODWARD, EDWARD G. vs. WOODWARD, JOAN E.
Cause of Action: UNLAWFUL DETAINER - RESIDENTIAL

CGC-94-965514 WOODWARD, JOAN DEFENDANT BANNING VS WOODWARD Dec-01-1994

FDV-00-035996 WOODWARD, JOAN JOAN WOODWARD VS. EDWARD G WOODWARD Jan-26-2000

FDV-99-035606 WOODWARD, JOAN JOAN WOODWARD VS. MICHAEL T JENSEN Dec-20-1999

Cheryl
San Francisco, California
U.S.A.