A former employee has filed a lawsuit against a prominent medical company, alleging age discrimination and harassment that led to his wrongful termination. On April 25, 2025, Donald Yeh filed a complaint in the Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara, against Broncus Medical Inc., accusing the company of multiple violations including age harassment and retaliation.
The case details Yeh's employment journey with Broncus Medical Inc., where he served as a Principal R&D Engineer from September 2021 until his termination in February 2024. Yeh, aged 79 at the time of filing, claims he was subjected to repeated derogatory remarks about his age by younger colleagues and supervisors. In one instance during June 2022, Andy Cao allegedly commented on Yeh's inability to lead due to his age. Despite reporting these incidents to management, no corrective action was taken. Instead, Yeh alleges that Broncus Medical hired younger employees for positions he sought and continued to foster a hostile work environment.
Yeh further recounts how Quang Tran, another employee, repeatedly questioned him about retirement plans in front of coworkers and undermined his authority as project manager. This behavior culminated in December 2023 when Tran falsely accused Yeh of workplace harassment. Subsequently, Yeh was removed from his project duties and eventually terminated under the guise of a "reduction in force."
The complaint accuses Broncus Medical Inc. of violating several California laws including Government Code §§ 12940 et seq., which prohibits discrimination based on age among other factors. Additionally, it cites whistleblower protection violations under Cal. Labor Code § 1102.5 due to alleged retaliatory actions following Yeh's complaints about unlawful practices within the company.
Yeh seeks compensatory damages for emotional distress and loss of earnings resulting from what he describes as wrongful termination motivated by age discrimination and retaliation for protected activities such as reporting misconduct. He also demands punitive damages citing willful misconduct by Broncus Medical’s managerial staff.
Representing Donald Yeh is attorney Niran Grimberg from Grimberg Law PC based in Encino, California. The case is presided over by judges at the Superior Court of California under Case No.: 29CV464408.