Law360 (November 21, 2024, 6:31 PM EST) — Four former employees of Boston-based ezCater are suing the online catering service, alleging that it engaged in discrimination based on their gender, race and pregnancy, then retaliated when they complained.
The former workers — Ashleigh Corker, Nicole Quill, Shelby Hopkins and David Han Koi — said in the federal lawsuit that ezCater “established, tolerated and fostered an atmosphere of discrimination” based on gender, race and pregnancy in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.
The employees said they were treated differently from other workers, then retaliated against when they raised concerns about the treatment to higher-ups, including ezCater CEO Ashwin Raj.
“EzCater’s working environment was toxic and hostile and marked by constant infighting, scapegoating and management threats of unjust discipline that caused undue stress on its employees, particularly women and people of color,” the former workers said.
The company told Law360 in a statement Thursday that it intends to “vigorously” defend itself against the claims and is “committed to creating a diverse, equitable and inclusive environment, and we do not tolerate discrimination or harassment in any form.”
According to the complaint, non-white employees, like Han Koi, were put on performance improvement plans despite producing high-quality work. Women were allegedly “belittled,” with their contributions to the company “diminished.” Female employees were also disciplined for minor infractions, while male peers were not, according to the suit.
An executive provided negative feedback to a manager about Corker’s work immediately after she rejected his sexual advances at a May 2023 company work outing where alcohol was consumed, the complaint said.
Months later, Corker — then a director of product — was told by a male manager to “smile more and be more open and warm,” and three-quarters of her responsibilities and four of the six people who reported directly to her were reassigned to other managers when she complained about the remark, the lawsuit said. She said she later complained to the company’s human resources department.
Corker was terminated in February 2024, the lawsuit said, and the company gave her no explanation for the firing. Quill, Hopkins and Han Koi were also terminated shortly afterward, the suit said.
Quill says she told ezCater management in December 2023 that she would take maternity leave in May 2024.
“EzCater’s toxic and hostile work environment became demonstrably worse as ezCater management began retaliating against Quill for her stated intention to take leave, by, among other things, seeking to sabotage Quill’s employment by having her team take on a futile project that had been previously and unsuccessfully overseen by at least three other teams,” the complaint said.
Quill, a senior product manager at ezCater, said she also reported a complaint to human resources and was told to take leave to address her emotional distress and anxiety about the company’s culture. She says she was terminated eight business days after starting her leave. The company purportedly blamed the termination on a “change in executive leadership” and said her “role needed to be eliminated due to a restructure.”
Hopkins, a principal product manager, said her manager discriminated against her and other female employees by diminishing their contributions, “seeking to silence them, speaking over them, and generally condescending to them.” A subsequent manager treated Hopkins and her female colleagues the same way, according to the complaint.
While Hopkins was on leave, the company back-filled her role under a different title, which a white male filled, she said. She was terminated a month after she returned from that leave, according to the suit.
The complaint also said Han Koi — an Asian American and experienced startup co-founder — was treated worse than his white male peers, including being denied promotional opportunities and raises comparable to those offered to the peers.
In addition to the Title VII claims, the lawsuit alleges discrimination and retaliation in violation of the federal Family and Medical Leave Act and the Massachusetts Paid Family and Medical Leave Act, and a violation of the Massachusetts Pay Equity Law.
Representatives for the parties were not immediately available for comment on Thursday.
The former workers are represented by Travis T. Pregent of Pregent Law.
Counsel information for EzCater was not immediately available for comment on Thursday.
The case is Corker et al. v. EzCater Inc., case number 1:24-cv-12888, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts.
–Editing by Peter Rozovsky.
