A former employee of Jimmy Choo USA Inc. — a company known for fashion products, such as handbags and shoes — has sued the company for workplace discrimination and wrongful termination due to a number of incidents that culminated in his firing in 2014.

John Ornelas is a gay Hispanic man who worked for Jimmy Choo. He said he suffered daily harassment because of his sexual orientation and his Mexican heritage. Some comments, which we won’t reproduce here, are truly abhorrent. Some of the comments were even made by Ornelas’ supervisor.

Ornelas still worked through all of the harassment he was suffering until one day in 2014 his supervisor — the same one that was harassing him — stole on of his sales. His complaints to higher-ups were not heard before, but he tried yet again after this incident. His complaint was filed, but the next day he was fired.

Ornelas has filed a lawsuit alleging workplace discrimination and wrongful termination, with the lawsuit requesting damages in excess of $25,000 for unpaid wages and emotional distress, in addition to the harassment and alleged wrongful termination.

No matter who you are, the company you work for and the employees it hires doesn’t have the right to harass you, discriminate against you or fire you for any reason. You have rights, and they have to not only uphold those rights but respect the rules and regulations that they must adhere to. You are not powerless against a company — even though it may feel like that at times.

Source: The Fashion Law, “Jimmy Choo Named in Ugly Discrimination Lawsuit by Former Employee,” May 4, 2016