Maria Julia Perez has filed a lawsuit against her former employer, a major retail corporation, alleging a series of discriminatory and retaliatory actions that culminated in her wrongful termination. The complaint was filed on January 16, 2025, in the Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara, against Walgreen Co., Shelby Doe, and unnamed defendants. Perez's allegations include racial discrimination, disability discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and various labor law violations.
Perez's employment with the defendants began in February 2022 and ended abruptly in October 2023. She claims that during her tenure, she faced persistent discrimination based on her Mexican-American heritage by her manager Shelby Doe. According to the complaint, Doe made derogatory remarks such as "You Mexican people complain about everything," while showing preferential treatment towards Indian-American employees. Furthermore, Perez alleges that despite informing her employers about her medical conditions—anemia and diabetes—which necessitated regular meal and rest breaks for health reasons, she was denied these accommodations. This lack of accommodation led to several incidents where Perez fainted at work due to inadequate nutrition and hydration.
In addition to racial discrimination claims under the Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), Perez accuses Walgreen Co. of failing to engage in an interactive process to accommodate her disabilities as required by law. She also asserts that she was wrongfully terminated under the guise of frequent illness complaints after suffering workplace injuries and requesting necessary medical leave—a right protected under the California Family Rights Act (CFRA). The lawsuit details multiple violations including failure to provide accurate wage statements, missed meal and rest periods, waiting time penalties for unpaid wages upon termination, and unfair business practices.
Perez seeks a jury trial demanding compensatory damages for emotional distress and lost wages as well as punitive damages for what she describes as willful misconduct by the defendants. Her legal team is also pursuing attorney fees and other statutory penalties available under California labor laws.
Representing Maria Julia Perez are attorneys Kane Moon, Christopher Garcia, and Laura Hartman from Moon Law Group PC. The case is being reviewed by Judge J. Nguyen under Case ID 25CV456691.