Netflix Sued By Ex-Employee Who Claims She Was Fired Over Pregnancy; Streamer Responds – Update
UPDATED with Netflix statement below: A former Netflix division manager filed a lawsuit against the company Tuesday, alleging she was fired after announcing her pregnancy.
In a 35-page complaint filed in Los Angeles Superior Court (read it here), Tania Zarak says she began working for the streaming giant as a manager in the International Originals division in mid-2018. The lawsuit says Zarak announced her pregnancy a few months later, in early November 2018, and was fired.
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Before ultimately losing her job, the suit alleges she was left out of meetings and her supervisor, Francisco Ramos, made denigrating remarks about her appearance. It goes on to claim Ramos removed Zarak from a show she was working on, involving a famous Mexican-American singer.
After complaining to human resources, Zarak says she had a meeting with Ramos and was subsequently fired in front of an HR rep.
The suit alleges wrongful termination, and says Zarak “suffered and continues to suffer humiliation, emotional distress, and mental and physical pain and anguish” as a result of losing her job.
She is seeking unspecified damages for lost wages, lost employee benefits, bonuses, vacation benefits, medical expenses, pain, suffering and emotional distress.
A Netflix spokesman said: “We have previously looked into these claims and determined they were unfounded. Netflix works hard to ensure that employees with families, or who are starting a family, have the flexibility and support they need.”
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