Katerina Copeland has filed a lawsuit against her former employer, alleging a series of severe workplace violations that include gender discrimination, harassment, and wrongful termination. The complaint was filed on January 13, 2025, in the Superior Court of California for the County of San Francisco against Sunrun, Inc., and unnamed defendants.
According to the court documents, Katerina Copeland began working for Sunrun, Inc. in 2020 and soon faced sexual harassment from a co-worker named Brandon Pacheco. Despite reporting these incidents to her manager and supervisor in 2022, she claims that no action was taken to address her complaints. Instead, she alleges that she was threatened with job loss if she continued to report the harassment. In June 2022, Copeland requested a leave of absence due to the ongoing harassment but upon returning in September 2022, found herself without sales opportunities and was repeatedly placed in meetings with her alleged harasser.
The complaint details further retaliatory actions by Sunrun, Inc., including failing to assign sales opportunities from September 2022 until her constructive termination on January 13, 2023. Copeland asserts that this retaliation violated multiple laws including California Government Code §12940(a) regarding gender discrimination and retaliation under FEHA (Fair Employment and Housing Act) as well as Labor Code §1102.5.
Copeland's lawsuit outlines several causes of action: gender discrimination; retaliation under FEHA; retaliation under Labor Code §1102.5; harassment/sexual harassment; failure to prevent discrimination and harassment; wrongful/constructive termination; intentional infliction of emotional distress; and negligent infliction of emotional distress. She claims that Sunrun failed to take reasonable steps to prevent such misconduct despite being aware of it.
In terms of relief sought from the court, Copeland is demanding general and special damages for lost earnings and earning capacity along with pre-judgment interest. She also seeks punitive damages intended to punish Sunrun for their alleged conduct as well as statutory penalties where applicable. Furthermore, she requests attorney's fees incurred during this legal process.
Representing Katerina Copeland are attorneys Sean M. Novak and Farbod Youmtobian from The Novak Law Firm P.C., based in Manhattan Beach, California. The case has been assigned Case No.: CGC-25-621404 at the Superior Court of California for the County of San Francisco.