A former custodian for PRIDE Industries is suing the organization, alleging she was wrongfully terminated earlier this year for taking a medical leave due to a shoulder injury, even though the organization touts itself as an employer of disabled people.
Yesenia Guevera’s Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit alleges wrongful termination, disability discrimination, retaliation, failure to engage in the interactive process and provide reasonable accommodation and failure to prevent discrimination and retaliation. Guevera seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages.
A PRIDE Industries representative did not immediately reply to a request for comment on the suit brought Friday.
“For millions of people with disabilities, finding a job is no easy task,” the suit notes in quoting a message on the PRIDE website. “Today, 70% of working-age Americans with disabilities are unemployed. It’s a reality that leaves many people unable to live up to their full potential. But it doesn’t have to be this way. At PRIDE, we create jobs through our businesses and amazing customer focus and we empower our employees with disabilities with innovative, industry-leading support services.”
Guevera worked as a custodian at PRIDE’s Commerce location for about seven years, then had surgery on one shoulder last July and went on medical leave, the suit states.
In February, Guevera provided PRIDE management with a doctor’s note stating she was ready to return to work with some limited restrictions on March 14, but the organization’s human resources manager told her there were no reasonable accommodations that could be made, the suit states.
“We thank you for your service to the company,” the human resources manager told Guevera in an April 7 termination note, according to the suit. “You may be eligible to return to PRIDE Industries if there are open positions that you are qualified for when you feel your medical condition has improved, however, this is not a guarantee of future employment.”
Guevera was not offered alternative employment in other open and available PRIDE positions and she has suffered financial losses and emotional distress since losing her job, the suit states.