In a dramatic turn of events, a former employee has taken legal action against her previous employer, alleging a series of discriminatory practices that culminated in her wrongful termination. Esther Gonzales filed the complaint on March 28, 2025, in the Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara, against Valley Services Electronics, LLC. The lawsuit outlines serious accusations including age discrimination and retaliation following her request for family leave.
Esther Gonzales had been employed by Valley Services Electronics (VSE) since March 2007 as a Human Resources Manager. Her tenure at the company was marked by positive feedback and significant contributions to the HR department's growth. However, tensions arose when VSE began expanding its operations to Reno, Nevada in 2023. Gonzales claims she was sidelined during this expansion phase, being one of the few managers not promoted to director level—a move she attributes to age discrimination as those promoted were younger than her.
The situation escalated when VSE hired Melody Lewis as Director of Human Resources in March 2024, a position for which Gonzales was neither considered nor invited to apply. Despite having managed the HR department for over 15 years, Gonzales found herself reporting to Lewis and excluded from high-level management meetings. She alleges that comments about her family life and grandchildren were met with surprise by Lewis and others at VSE, contributing to an environment where she felt marginalized due to her age.
Gonzales also details how she requested family leave in early 2024 to care for her daughter post-surgery. Although initially planning for six weeks off, she only took two weeks but noticed a marked change in workplace dynamics upon her return. She describes being ignored by senior management and ultimately terminated on May 21, 2024—just one day after returning from additional leave taken for family care.
The lawsuit accuses Valley Services Electronics of multiple violations under California Government Code §12940 et seq., including discrimination based on age and retaliation for exercising rights under the Family Care Act. Gonzales argues that VSE failed to investigate or prevent discrimination and wrongfully terminated her employment in violation of public policy. She seeks compensatory damages for lost wages and benefits, emotional distress damages, punitive damages against VSE’s officers and managing agents for their egregious conduct, as well as equitable remedies such as declaratory relief requiring VSE to comply with fair employment practices.
Representing Esther Gonzales are attorneys Sarah B. Schlehr and Stacey R. Brown from The Schlehr Law Firm P.C., based in Burbank, California. The case is presided over by Judge P. Hernandez under Case ID: 25CV462299.