A male marketing executive has filed a lawsuit against Terranea Resort, alleging he was fired for defending pregnant women on his team against discrimination by the resort president who allegedly interrogated female employees about their pregnancy status and pressured managers to penalize them for taking maternity leave.
Key Takeaways
- Chad Bustos, former marketing executive at Terranea Resort, filed a lawsuit claiming he was fired for opposing pregnancy discrimination against his all-female team.
- Resort president Ralph Grippo allegedly asked female employees if they were pregnant and scrutinized them using security cameras after becoming upset about maternity leaves.
- Bustos claims Grippo pressured him to discipline high-performing female employees for minor infractions and criticized them despite their excellent work.
- This case highlights violations of California law, which prohibits employers from inquiring about pregnancy and protects employees from discrimination based on pregnancy status.
- The resort previously settled a sexual harassment lawsuit in 2017 for $250,000, suggesting a potential pattern of workplace discrimination issues.
Executive Claims Retaliation for Defending Pregnant Employees
Chad Bustos, who supervised an all-female marketing team at the luxury Terranea Resort in Rancho Palos Verdes, California, has filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles County Superior Court against the resort and its president, Ralph Grippo. The lawsuit alleges pregnancy discrimination and retaliatory termination, claiming Bustos was fired in August 2024 after opposing discriminatory practices targeting pregnant employees and those on maternity leave. Bustos had worked at the resort since 2023 and had a previous 11-year professional relationship with Grippo at another company.
“Are you pregnant?” asked Ralph Grippo, President of Terranea Resort, allegedly asked female employees directly, according to court documents.
Alleged Pattern of Pregnancy Discrimination
The lawsuit details how Grippo’s alleged discriminatory behavior began in February 2024 after a team member announced her pregnancy and upcoming maternity leave. According to court documents, Grippo reacted with visible anger, later questioning other women about their pregnancy status—a direct violation of California labor laws. The situation allegedly escalated when Grippo began monitoring the marketing team using security cameras and instructed Bustos to discipline these employees for minor infractions, despite Bustos describing his team as “very talented and hardworking.”
By May 2024, despite the marketing team’s high performance, Grippo allegedly criticized them for not working hard enough. The lawsuit claims that when Bustos defended his team and reported the discriminatory behavior to human resources, he became a target himself. The allegations include claims that Grippo questioned women’s ability to balance work and family responsibilities and penalized a pregnant employee for tardiness due to morning sickness, demonstrating a pattern of hostility toward pregnant workers.
Legal Implications and Previous Complaints
California employment law explicitly prohibits employers from inquiring about medical conditions, including pregnancy, and protects employees from discrimination based on pregnancy status. The lawsuit highlights how anti-pregnancy comments can constitute sex discrimination under state law. This case could have significant implications for workplace policies regarding pregnant employees and parental leave accommodations, particularly in the hospitality industry where work schedules can be demanding and irregular.
“This should be important for everybody,” said Chad Bustos, former marketing executive at Terranea Resort, emphasized regarding workplace protections for pregnant employees.
This is not the first time Terranea Resort has faced litigation over workplace conduct. In 2017, the resort settled a sexual harassment and retaliation lawsuit filed by Sandra Pezqueda for $250,000. This history raises questions about the workplace culture at the resort and whether management has implemented adequate protections for employees. Neither Terranea Resort nor its co-owners, JC Resorts and Lowe Enterprises, have responded to requests for comment regarding the current lawsuit, leaving the public with only Bustos’s allegations to consider as the legal process unfolds.
