A Napa jury deliberating a discrimination and retaliation lawsuit filed by a short lived employee towards in style Napa-based bean firm Rancho Gordo sided with the plaintiff on a variety of counts and awarded her $252,000 in damages on Thursday, March 23, as first reported by the San Francisco Chronicle.
Martha Martinez, who was a short lived employee at Rancho Gordo from late 2019 into 2020, accused the corporate of discriminating towards her primarily based on her intercourse, nationwide origin, and being pregnant, resulting in retaliation and wrongful termination, the Chronicle reported in early March. Jurors of the case deliberated for 4 days, working by way of a impasse, however solely sided with Martinez on among the lawsuit’s accusations.
The jury concluded that Martinez’s being pregnant on the time of her employment with Rancho Gordo was a consider her termination in 2020 — in addition to that the firing prompted her hurt, and that the corporate retaliated towards her by not hiring her for future work over complaints about being fired on account of her being pregnant. The jury didn’t appear to seek out the corporate at fault on different allegations, nonetheless. Martinez alleged that she confronted discrimination in relation to her nation of origin, El Salvador, by different staff. Jurors didn’t facet with Martinez on that accusation.
Martinez was awarded a considerable sum of money in damages by the jury, who compensated her $15,566.40 for misplaced previous earnings; $86,400 for future medical bills; $75,000 for previous emotional misery; and $75,000 for future emotional misery. In response to the decision touchdown in Martinez’s favor, her authorized workforce at Liberation Legislation Group informed the Chronicle that Martinez’s “sense of justice was appropriate” in submitting a lawsuit towards Rancho Gordo over her therapy on the firm.
Rancho Gordo refuted all of the claims in court docket. Attorneys for the corporate and Rancho Gordo proprietor Steve Sando acknowledged the corporate was unaware of Martinez’s being pregnant on the time of her firing.
In a press release to Rancho Gordo staff by way of Slack on Thursday and launched to Eater SF by firm officers, Sando knowledgeable employees of the jury’s determination and thanked everybody for his or her help, whereas additional disputing any discriminatory wrongdoing as alleged within the case.
“Sadly, we misplaced our case towards the temp employee who claims we let her go as a result of she was pregnant,” the message reads partly. “It’s a crushing loss as we all know it was on account of seasonal wants, not discrimination, however the emotional jury thought in any other case. We did nothing mistaken and our employees acted with professionalism and charm. I might invite you to learn the court docket transcripts and you’ll agree. Or not, however it is a tough one.
“The story isn’t over,” the message continues, including that the corporate’s authorized workforce has suggested Sando to not communicate publicly in regards to the case till “it’s actually over.”
