A former cashier for the Walt Disney Co. is suing the entertainment giant, alleging she was wrongfully fired in 2023 for complaining that she was not properly accommodated for her lupus condition.
Serena Pina-Walker’s Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit also states she has a cinnamon allergy and yet she was forced to work around the aromatic spice. Her allegations include wrongful termination, whistleblower retaliation, harassment and intentional infliction of emotional distress. She seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages.
A Disney representative did not immediately reply to a request for comment on the suit brought Thursday.
Pina-Walker, 23, of Whittier was hired in October 2022 and later disclosed to Disney that she had a cinnamon allergy, then subsequently revealed she also had a form of lupus, the suit states.
Although she expected that management would grant her leaves as well as give her assignments in an environment that included cinnamon, in February 2023, she was told to work in a kitchen serving cinnamon pretzels, according to the suit, which further states that a manager thought the plaintiff was exaggerating about her allergy and told her to either work there or go home without pay.
As a result, Pina-Walker developed a breathing problem and hives because of the cinnamon, even though she wore a mask, the suit states.
When a Disney nurse examined Pina-Walker and recommended she go home to recuperate, the manager asked the plaintiff, “Do you really need to go home?” the suit alleges.
Another boss told co-workers he didn’t believe Pina-Walker had lupus, the suit states.
Shortly after complaining about her alleged mistreatment by the supervisors to human resources, management began retaliating by writing Pina-Walker up for taking medical absences and by requiring her to work in a cold environment, the suit alleges.
Pina-Walker was suspended after returning from one medical leave and fired in June 2023 even though supervisors knew her absences were actually medical leaves to deal with her lupus, according to the suit, which further states that Pina-Walker has suffered lost wages and emotional distress due to being terminated.