A former employee has filed a lawsuit against a travel company, alleging a series of discriminatory and retaliatory actions that culminated in his wrongful termination. Mario Pastrana, the plaintiff, lodged his complaint with the Superior Court of California, County of San Francisco on March 5, 2025, accusing Flight Centre Travel Group (USA), Inc., doing business as FCM Travel San Francisco, of multiple violations including discrimination based on age, disability, and sexual orientation.
The lawsuit outlines Pastrana's employment history with FCM, which began on January 16, 2023. During his tenure as a VIP Corporate Travel Consultant, Pastrana claims he was subjected to derogatory comments about his sexual orientation by co-workers via the company's Microsoft Teams system. Despite reporting these incidents to HR in June 2023, no effective action was taken to address the hostile work environment. Pastrana further alleges that after raising concerns about workplace practices and rest break violations under California Labor Code with supervisors Hannah Adams and Melody English in August and September 2023 respectively, he faced retaliation from management.
Pastrana asserts that following his complaints about discriminatory behavior and labor code violations, he was placed on a "Success Plan" in November 2023—a move he perceived as punitive given his recent recognition as one of FCM's top producers. His situation worsened when technical issues within FCM's systems led to unfair performance assessments against him. The culmination of these events led to Pastrana taking medical leave due to stress-related health issues starting February 1, 2024.
During this leave period, Pastrana claims he was harassed by management despite requesting communication be limited to writing. He also accuses FCM of wrongfully using his accrued PTO without consent while receiving State Disability Insurance benefits. Upon returning from medical leave on February 29, 2024, Pastrana found himself hindered by administrative delays that affected his performance metrics negatively.
Ultimately terminated on April 24, 2024, Pastrana believes the stated reasons for his dismissal were pretextual and rooted in discrimination against his age (56), sexual orientation (gay), and perceived disability status. He seeks compensatory damages for lost wages and benefits along with punitive damages for emotional distress caused by the alleged unlawful employment practices.
Representing Mario Pastrana is attorney Moira McQuaid from the Law Offices of Moira C. McQuaid based in San Mateo. The case is presided over by Judge Sahar Enayati under Case No.: CGC-25-623)08.