Nobu Wins Dismissal Of Wrongful Termination Suit Filed By Former Employee

LOS ANGELES, CA — A judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed against Nobu Malibu LLC by a former server assistant who alleged she was demoted and then wrongfully terminated in 2022 for complaining that some of her male co-workers were sexually harassing her, including one employee whom she says showed her lewd images of himself on his phone.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael Small granted the defense motion to toss Erica Medina's case on Tuesday. The restaurant lawyers contended that the plaintiff had repeatedly failed to take part in information-sharing requests and that Medina had appeared to have abandoned the case.

The judge's ruling was "with prejudice," meaning the case cannot be refiled. No one showed up on Medina's behalf for Tuesday's hearing.

In their previous court papers, Nobu lawyers denied Medina's allegations and said, among other things, that even assuming Medina could show retaliation, she would have been terminated anyway for legitimate reasons.

According to Medina's lawsuit, she was hired in August 2021 when she was 19 years old. She alleged she initially had complaints about co-workers making inappropriate comments about her physical appearance.

"The situation was made even more uncomfortable due to the ... changing/locker rooms at Nobu were shared between male and female employees," the suit stated.

The most egregious conduct displayed to Medina was that of a male employee who shared explicit videos and photographs of his private parts on his phone with the plaintiff, the suit further alleged.

Some fellow employees told Medina she should have been a nurse because she is Filipino and still others called her a "whore" and "Satan," the suit further alleged.

Medina filed a written complaint with management in September 2022, but instead of getting help she was terminated a month later, the suit stated.

City News Service