A 68-year-old former longtime USC employee is suing the university, alleging she was wrongfully terminated in 2024 due to her age and disability.
Cheryl Piazzola’s Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit also contends that she was repeatedly denied other positions for which she applied after her termination, in part she believes because of a false rumor that she had retired. Her lawsuit allegations include wrongful discharge, retaliation, harassment, intentional infliction of emotional distress and failure to accommodate and engage in the interactive process.
Piazzola seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages in the suit filed Thursday. A USC representative issued a statement regarding the suit on Friday that read, “We are aware of the lawsuit and are reviewing it in detail.”
Piazzola was hired in USC as a secretary in medical social work and received multiple promotions over the years, including a position with the vice president’s office with the title of special projects manager in 2004, the suit states. Her job was eliminated two years later, so she applied for other jobs, was rehired and her final position was special project manager for faculty affairs in the Obstetrics and Gynecology Dept., the suit states.
Piazzola suffered various injuries during her last seven years with USC, including hurting her knees when she stepped into a pothole while walking on campus, according to the suit, which further states that her condition worsened because she was not initially given proper medical care.
The plaintiff had arthroscopic surgery in 2018 or 2019 and returned to work with restrictions, but she eventually needed a knee replacement on one leg and delays in her treatment caused her necessary medical leave to be longer than she expected, the suit states.
Piazzola tried to return to USC in February 2024, but she believes the university had no intention of bringing her back because someone else had replaced her in her previous position, the suit states. She also was denied each time she applied for other jobs through last October, when she was suddenly terminated, according to her suit.
“Plaintiff begged USC to overturn the termination decision and specifically reiterated her complaints that she felt the termination was based on her disabilities and age (but), USC refused to overturn the decision,” according to the suit.
Undeterred, Piazzola, 66 at the time, did not want to begin a new career elsewhere and continued to apply for jobs at USC, but was rejected each time and the human resources and other managers whom she contacted were unwilling to help her, the suit alleges.
“In fact, plaintiff started receiving communications from various employees, agents and managers of USC saying that she retired, which was not true,” according to the suit, which further states that Piazzola believes that this rumor only added to her inability to find a new position with USC.
Piazzola continues to suffer substantial losses in earnings and job benefits in addition to humiliation, embarrassment as well as other forms of mental and emotional distress, the suit states.