FRESNO – A Starbucks employee alleges she was forced to resign because of intolerable conditions created by the company's response to her gender dysphoria diagnosis.
Maddie Wade filed a complaint on July 26 in the Fresno County Superior Court against Starbucks Corp., Dustin Guthrie and Does 1-100 alleging wrongful constructive termination and other counts.
According to the complaint, the plaintiff began working for Starbucks almost nine years ago and in October 2017, was diagnosed with gender dysphoria. The suit states the plaintiff was living as a man when Guthrie was appointed as a manager at the location where plaintiff worked in July 2017. She alleges she disclosed her gender dysphoria diagnosis to Guthrie in September/October 2017 and that she would be transiting to female.
The suit states after telling Guthrie of the transition, her hours decreased and she transferred to another location in March and resigned in June.
The plaintiff holds Starbucks Corp., Guthrie and Does 1-100 responsible because the defendants allegedly forced plaintiff to resign because of the intolerable working conditions and discriminated against her and harassed her on the basis of her sex, gender and gender identity.
The plaintiff requests a trial by jury and seeks judgment against defendant for general, special and punitive damages; attorneys’ fees; interest; cost of suit; and further relief as the court deems fair. She is represented by Arnold P. Peter and Eyal Farahan of Peter Law Group in Manhattan Beach.
Fresno County Superior Court case number 18-CECG-02779