Joseph Miller, a former employee of Redwood Electric Group, Inc., has filed a lawsuit alleging severe violations of his rights under California's Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA). The complaint was filed on December 30, 2024, in the Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara. The lawsuit accuses Redwood Electric Group of multiple infractions including disability discrimination, failure to accommodate, and unlawful retaliation.
According to the court documents, Joseph Miller began working for Redwood Electric Group as a Project Manager on October 17, 2016. His employment came with a salary of $135,000 per year plus benefits. However, in late 2020, Miller became seriously ill and required medical leave. Despite providing his employer with a doctor's note indicating the need for leave from January 7 to March 7, 2021, he was terminated by his manager Kurt Chacon on January 15, 2021. "Defendants discriminated against Plaintiff because of his disability," the complaint states. It further alleges that Redwood Electric failed to engage in a good faith interactive process or provide reasonable accommodations as required by law.
Miller's lawsuit outlines several causes of action against Redwood Electric Group and unnamed defendants referred to as Does 1 through 50. These include disability discrimination under Government Code §12940(a), failure to accommodate (§12940(m)), failure to engage in an interactive process (§12940(n)), and retaliatory termination under both FEHA and the California Family Rights Act (CFRA). The complaint argues that these actions resulted in significant emotional distress and financial loss for Miller.
The plaintiff is seeking compensatory damages for lost earnings and benefits along with punitive damages due to what he describes as malicious conduct by the defendants. Additionally, Miller requests declaratory relief affirming that his termination was discriminatory and seeks injunctive relief to prevent future occurrences at Redwood Electric Group. Legal fees are also being pursued under Government Code section 12965.
Representing Joseph Miller is Constantine P. Tsagaris from Galine, Frye, Fitting & Frangos LLP based in San Mateo. The case is being reviewed by Judge Y. Chave under Case ID: 24CV455259.