LOS ANGELES (CNS) - A former employee of a Van Nuys auto dealership owned by onetime UCLA basketball guard Russell Westbrook is suing for gender and pregnancy discrimination, alleging she was urged by management to get an abortion after her bosses found out she was expecting while separated from her husband.
Jocelyn Oajaca's Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit was filed Wednesday against FAB4 LLC, Russell Westbrook Enterprises LLC and several individual managers of the Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and RAM dealership on Van Nuys Boulevard owned by the Washington Wizards star and new NBA all-time triple- doubles record holder.
The 32-year-old Westbrook is not a defendant and the suit does not state that he made any decisions regarding Oajaca, who also alleges fraud and retaliation and seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages.
A representative for the dealership could not be immediately reached for comment.
Oajaca was hired in October 2018 and was promoted to business development center representative with a written employment agreement that gave her a long-term position with commissions, bonuses and benefits, according to her court papers.
When Oajaca's supervisors found out that she was pregnant, they began harassing her, telling her she should not have a baby while separated from her spouse and they would pay her expenses for an abortion and give her three days to recover, according to the suit, which also alleges her bosses said she could "play if off'" as if she had a miscarriage.
Oajaca alleges her bosses told her co-workers to convince the plaintiff to end her pregnancy while continuing to harass her, then fired her in March 2020, replacing her with a male while she was on pregnancy leave, according to her court papers.
Oajaca gave birth a month later and found out that her insurance had been canceled and that she was liable for her medical expenses, the suit says.
She says she was later told she could conditionally return to work in May 2020 if she did so with short notice, signed a release of her rights and accepted that her re-employment was not guaranteed.
"At the same time ... Russell Westbrook was promoting himself as a good Samaritan to residents of Los Angeles and offering them support and money if in need," the suit says.
Oajaca's supervisors knew that firing her left her with no income, no ability to support herself and her newborn and no insurance for either of them, causing the plaintiff extreme distress, according to the suit.