Two lawsuits against Golden Charter Academy allege employee mistreatment, including wage theft, failure to provide breaks, disability discrimination, and wrongful termination.

It is claimed that Golden Charter discriminated against and retaliated against two former employees, leading to their abrupt termination.

The school fired teacher Tafatawet Wilson for “recent insubordinate and unprofessional conduct” shortly after she attempted to address code violations and employee time-off, according to her lawsuit.

“On information and belief, the reason provided for Wilson’s termination was false and pretextual,” the lawsuit states. “(Golden Charter) retaliated against and ultimately terminated Wilson for her disclosing of information regarding (Golden Charter)’s unlawful policy.”

Around the same time, the school terminated part-time health aide Hazel DejonGray shortly after her doctor diagnosed her with a chronic illness, according to a separate lawsuit.

Christopher Berberian, the lawyer representing the former employees, declined to comment about the lawsuits.

Golden Charter could potentially pay over $1.2 million in reparations for damages to the former employees.

Golden Charter also failed to provide uninterrupted meal breaks and rest times, both former employees allege. In addition, Wilson’s lawsuit states she didn’t receive proper compensation — leaving her economically crippled.

Golden Charter Denies All Allegations

The experiences caused the former employees to suffer lost income and employment career opportunities, and mental anguish, according to court documents.

The school denied “each and every allegation of Plaintiff’s unverified complaint,” in its response to both lawsuits.

Golden Charter did not respond to GV Wire’s request for comment.

The court will hold a mandatory settlement conference for Wilson’s lawsuit on Wednesday, Oct. 29.

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Claim: Golden Charter Fails to Properly Pay Employee

Wilson, a kindergarten and first-grade teacher, taught at GCA for a year and a half until the school allegedly unlawfully terminated her in August 2024.

She worked 50–60-hour weeks, usually accruing about 15 hours of overtime, without uninterrupted meal breaks and rest periods, according to lawsuit documents.

“(Wilson) was not paid at all for hours worked over eight hours a day or more than forty hours in any one work week,” the lawsuit states.

When she expressed grievances over pay issues, now-principal Liana Pellegrino allegedly responded, “This is part of the job.”

Golden Charter also provided wage statements that did not “identify all hours worked, overtime hours, an overtime rate, and any meal or rest break premium,” the lawsuit claims.

Due to this, Wilson was allegedly unable to determine her hourly rate or amount of overtime worked, which prevented her from becoming aware of the violations for some time.

Human Resources Director Allegedly Retaliates Against Wilson

Golden Charter allegedly retaliated against Wilson after she attempted to address violations of health guidelines and employee time-off.

Last year, Golden Charter closed off one of two bathrooms available to teachers and adults. This resulted in over 70 employees having to share a single toilet, according to the lawsuit.

Wilson says she was unable to use the facility due to the toilet being constantly occupied and a line of staff members waiting to use it.

The next day, Wilson said that she reported the situation to Golden Charter Academy Human Resources Director Mindy Todd. Wilson also stated that she informed Todd that having a singular restroom for all employees was a violation of Occupational Safety and Health and Administration guidelines.

Days later, during a meeting, Todd informed staff that there would no longer be any unpaid time off approved, the lawsuit claims.

Wilson questioned whether this included the yearly 40 hours of unpaid time off for child-related activities mandated by California.

That same day, Wilson received a call notifying her that Golden Charter had decided to terminate her employment effective immediately, the lawsuit states.

Prior to this, Wilson had never received any write-ups or disciplinary action, according to lawsuit documents.

Claim: Golden Charter Discriminates Against Employee

According to DejonGray’s lawsuit, Golden Charter intimidated her into returning to work while on sick leave and terminated her days after a doctor diagnosed her with a chronic illness.

After DejonGray’s doctor diagnosed her with gastroparesis and placed her on medical leave, the school told her that she had no more paid time off and must return to work immediately.

DejonGray attempted to work that day but was unable to make it through her shift due to her disability, the lawsuit states.

“Despite (Golden Charter’s) abundantly clear awareness of DejonGray’s disability/medical condition, hospitalizations, and need for accommodation, (Golden Charter) did not engage in the interactive process with DejonGray to determine whether it would be possible to implement effective and reasonable accommodations,” the lawsuit states. “Instead, (Golden Charter) intimidated and misled.”

Prior to this, DejonGray fell severely ill twice, due to her previously undiagnosed condition, forced to go to the hospital, and seek help. Each time, the hospital provided documentation of the visit and an excuse  from work, according to the lawsuit.

Golden Charter later sent her a termination notice citing “excessive absenteeism early departures” and failure to show up at work without calling in sick.

The letter was from Todd, whom DejonGray had previously directly contacted about her illness and inability to work, the lawsuit states.