A California professional has taken legal action against a prominent tech company and its investment firm, alleging discrimination due to her pregnancy. Alexandra Bonder filed the complaint in the Superior Court of California, County of Santa Clara, on April 21, 2025, against RhythmX AI LLC and SAIGroup.
The lawsuit outlines a series of events that began in the summer of 2024 when Bonder applied for a position at RhythmX AI, which is financially backed by SAIGroup. After successfully completing multiple interview rounds and receiving glowing feedback from both companies' leadership teams, Bonder was offered a job on July 11, 2024. The following day, after negotiating an improved compensation package that she accepted in writing, Bonder informed CEO Deepthi Bathina about her pregnancy during a logistics discussion. This disclosure led to an unexpected reaction from Bathina who expressed panic and frustration upon learning about Bonder's need for maternity leave starting February 2025. According to the complaint, Bathina stated that such leave would not be feasible and rescinded the job offer.
Bonder's lawsuit accuses RhythmX AI and SAIGroup of violating several sections of the California Government Code §12940 by engaging in sex-based discrimination, failing to hire based on pregnancy, retaliating against her for requesting maternity leave, and failing to prevent discrimination and retaliation. The complaint emphasizes that these actions contradict CEO Bathina's public statements about moral imperatives and trust within the company. "This case exemplifies the stark contrast between CEO Bathina's words and actions," states the complaint.
Bonder seeks various forms of relief from the court including general damages exceeding the jurisdictional limit of the court, special damages with prejudgment interest, punitive damages for malicious conduct by defendants, as well as attorney’s fees and litigation expenses. The case underscores significant allegations against corporate practices concerning gender discrimination and highlights broader issues related to workplace equality.
Representing Bonder is attorney Navruz Avloni from Avloni Law A Professional Corporation based in San Francisco. The case has been assigned Case No. 25CV463935 with Judge T. Phan reviewing it upon filing.