LOS ANGELES – A former security guard for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, who alleges her return from vacation about three weeks late in 2015 after being stranded in Istanbul was used as a pretext to fire her, can take her pregnancy discrimination case to trial, a judge ruled Wednesday.
Viola Faruku alleges the real reason behind her termination was that she was an expectant mother and took a leave of absence after returning home, but defense attorney Natalie Luongo told Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Alan Rosenfield that the plaintiff was to blame for her own job loss.
“The plaintiff essentially abandoned her position as a security officer,” Luongo said.
Rosenfield rejected a defense motion to dismiss Faruku’s case.
“I think there are material triable issues,” the judge said.
Faruku’s lawsuit, filed in June 2016, alleges pregnancy discrimination and pregnancy leave discrimination. She is seeking unspecified damages from the county and the sheriff’s department.
Faruku, 32, joined the LASD as a security guard in April 2010. She says she took a trip to Albania in early August 2014 and was scheduled to return to work on Aug. 25 of that month.
She says her Aug. 24, 2014, return flight from Albania was canceled and she had to get a substitute flight the next day, when she was supposed to be back on the job. However, the aircraft was delayed leaving Albania and she missed her connecting flight out of Istanbul, the suit says, leaving her “stranded in Turkey, a country where she had no family or friends,” according to her court papers.
The next day, Faruku was able to catch a plane to London, but she became ill in Great Britain’s capital city and was unable to travel for a few weeks, the suit states. She returned to work on Sept. 16, 2014.
In her argument, Luongo said Faruku was not alone in London.
“Her fiance just happened to be there,” Luongo said.
The burden was on Faruku to call her supervisors and keep them updated on her situation, Luongo said.
In her lawsuit, Faruku says she told her supervisors in late September or early October 2014 that she was pregnant. She was assigned light duty as a result, but a sergeant also told her that she was being investigated by the LASD’s Internal Affairs unit for allegedly providing false reasons for returning late from vacation, the suit states.
Faruku’s child was born in June 2015 and she went on leave, returning in December of that year, according to her lawsuit. Two hours after she came back, her sergeant told her she was being “suspended pending investigation” regarding her 2014 vacation and was told to “go home and take care of your son,” the suit says.
Faruku was fired in January 2016 for “improperly extending her vacation” and accused of giving false reasons to explain her actions, according to her court papers.
Faruku alleges that no “reasonable investigation” was conducted by the LASD regarding her vacation and that she was fired because she took pregnancy leave. The LASD also anticipated she might have to take more leave time off in the future if she got pregnant again, according to her court papers.
Trial of Faruku’s case is scheduled for July 17.
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Denise says
We have 35 different departments in the County, and a lot of us have been pregnant during our careers. If anything the County is one of the most accommodating employers to pregnant women. Honestly is the best policy. A lack of good judgement caused this, not the pregnancy and birth of your son.
Callingitasitis says
Just so you know LASD and other LE agencies (both state and Federal level) have a social media unit that look through the systems and pick up this stuff. Do Not putting your business out on ANY social media IF you do not want the world (or your employer) to see. News Flash if it is in digital form it never goes away, so DO NOT post it. Another dumb move from a county government employee paid by the tax payers.
Character may almost be called the most effective means of persuasion
Aristotle
Susan says
You got fired for lying and for abandonment of your position. You worked your whole pregnancy and they even had a baby shower for you. You went off for paternity leave came back. So how were you fired for being pregnant.
Alby says
OK, so I dare one of you men to get pregnant. You will get just as chewed out as woman do… we all rely on people to do there job. Certain jobs don’t have room for left positions.
Shane Falco says
Here’s a tip. If you’re going to say you’re stranded, can’t make contact and are too sick to travel, don’t post all your London adventures with your fiancé all over Facebook.
Your fiancé should also refrain from posting that he left and arrived in London on the very day you were supposed to be at work.
She was already going to be terminated for lying to her boss and job abandonment when she thought that taking maternity leave would keep her from being fired. All it did was delay it.
Tim Scott says
Strange how with all this evidence being presented to make the case so clear to the son of a dirty cop they can’t manage to convince the judge. Maybe the judge follows rules of evidence that you and your family don’t bother with?
Shane Falco says
She sanitized the Facebook as did the fiancé. That doesn’t prevent her from suing or a judge wanting to hear all the evidence.
As a Bakersfield handyman, it may be hard to understand that the LASD doesn’t present all the evidence in these types of hearings.
Speak the Truth says
Her fiancé lived in London and had a plumbing business. Apparently they expected us to believe didn’t believe he had no telephone. Her parents traveled to Albania with her. He mother also sanitized her Facebook account. She also had LASD members that were friends on Facebook. You couldn’t break off a message to them? She just got caught up in love and thought I don’t need this job. Then you decided London wasn’t for you and brought the fiancé over to the states and begged for your job back. You’re nothing but a liar Faruku!
Melissa says
Opportunistic, deceitful, underhanded, most people learn the hard way, Muslim women are dreadful. Muslim men blow up everything in site, but their women sue you, upside-down and inside-out. Garden variety western salutation, if a gentleman inadvertently reaches to shake a Muslim woman’s hand? That constitutes a Fatwa. You must die. At minimum, you must have your hands amputated. Period. That’s that.
Tim Scott says
Okay, so you are clueless. Makes it easy to be a bigot I guess. Well played.
William says
And, you’ll never learn at all.
Mark says
You lost me! You really should really become friends will people outside of your friendship circle.
Erik says
She’s not Muslim and that’s not the point. She looked like Barbie when she worked with us, and was completely lazy as a guard. Tendons to her hair and makeup was more important. She couldn’t even get hired as a deputy. Here she is again trying to freeloading of the County. Good riddance Viola
Alby says
If men could get pregnant they would be Goin through the same thing. Think about the children.