Rancho Gordo

Jury Awards Former Rancho Gordo Temp Worker More Than $250K in Discrimination Lawsuit | Eater SF

"A Napa-based bean company, Rancho Gordo, was found by a jury on March 23 to have discriminated and retaliated against a temporary worker over her pregnancy, and the jury awarded Martha Martinez $252,000 in damages. Martinez, who worked as a temp from late 2019 into 2020, had accused the company of discrimination based on sex, national origin (El Salvador), and pregnancy, plus retaliation and wrongful termination; jurors deliberated for four days, breaking a deadlock and siding with her on some — but not all — accusations. The panel concluded that her pregnancy was a factor in her 2020 termination, that the firing caused harm, and that the company retaliated by not hiring her for future work after complaints; jurors did not find in her favor on the national-origin discrimination claim. The award covered $15,566.40 in lost past earnings, $86,400 for future medical expenses, $75,000 for past emotional distress, and $75,000 for future emotional distress. Rancho Gordo and owner Steve Sando refuted the claims in court, saying the company was unaware of Martinez’s pregnancy, and Sando told staff via Slack that the verdict was a “crushing loss,” insisting the decision stemmed from seasonal needs, that staff had acted professionally, and that the company’s legal team advised him not to speak publicly until the matter is truly over; Martinez’s lawyers at Liberation Law Group said her “sense of justice was correct.”" - Dianne de Guzman