Makarem & Associates APLC and Rastegar & Matern will represent County of Los Angeles employees in upcoming employment discrimination lawsuits against Harbor UCLA Medical Center.
Employees Zena Branson, Laverne Geh, Vickie Moore and Brenda Lee-Richardson, who are all African-American, filed a lawsuit against Harbor UCLA Medical Center alleging they were subjected to acts of race discrimination, harassment and a hostile work environment while working under a supervisor named Candyce Gray. The lawsuit alleges that Gray called African-American employees “lazy” and “uneducated,”
Among the allegations of the lawsuit are charges that Harbor UCLA hides promotional opportunities from African-American employees. It’s alleged that the Medical Center disciplines African-American employees without cause, gives African-American employees lower ratings on their performance evaluations and makes African-American employees work out of class without additional pay, which is in violation of County policies.
The lawsuit, entitled Zena Branson, et al. v. Harbor UCLA Medical Center, BC 386 319, is set to go to trial in May 2010 in Los Angeles Superior Court.
Harbor UCLA is also the subject of a related discrimination lawsuit filed by Makarem & Associates and Rastegar & Matern regarding a disabled county employee, Cynthia Mayeda. Ms. Mayeda worked under the supervision of Gray for over three years, during which the lawsuit alleges Gray harassed and discriminated against her because of her disability. The complaint alleges Harbor UCLA deliberately assigned Ms. Mayeda tasks in violation of her work restrictions and refused to provide her with accommodations for her disability. The lawsuit also alleges Gray made derogatory statements about her disability, including ridiculing her for using a walking cane at work and telling Ms. Mayeda didn’t earn her paycheck.
Ms. Mayeda alleges that after she reported the discrimination, including the acts of race discrimination against the Branson plaintiffs, the County of Los Angeles retaliated against her by systematically stripping away her job duties and ultimately transferring her to another facility.
The lawsuit Mayeda v. Harbor UCLA Medical Ctr., County of Los Angeles BC 395 585 is set for trial in March 2010.
About Makarem & Associates APLC
Makarem & Associates APLC represents employees in discrimination, wrongful termination and wage and hour violation cases. It is located in Los Angeles, CA. For more information about the law firm go to http://www.makaremlaw.com.
About Rastegar & Matern
Rastegar & Matern represents employees in discrimination, wrongful termination and wage and hour violation cases. It is located in Torrance, Calif. For more information about the law firm go to http://www.Rastegar-
