A former employee of Bravo star Lisa Vanderpump’s Vanderpump Dog Foundation has reportedly filed a lawsuit alleging that she was forced to quit her job after senior staff members refused to take action after reporting instances of sexual harassment.
According to documents obtained by Radar Online, Damiana Guzman is suing the foundation for “unlawful harassment based on sex, gender, and sexual orientation,” as well as “wrongful termination in violation of public policy by way of constructive discharge.”
“Plaintiff worked for Defendant as a dog groomer for approximately two months until she was forced to resign in or about late July 2019 because of the intolerable working conditions created by her manager, Martin Duarte, and his superiors,” Guzman alleges in the court papers.
“Duarte engaged in a course and pattern of harassment based on Plaintiff’s sex, gender, and sexuality. Examples include the following: Duarte mocked Plaintiff by calling her things such as a ‘skinny no-a** fool,’ and a ‘flat-a** b**ch.’ He also told Plaintiff that he didn’t know how her girlfriend could stand to be with her because she had no a**,” the documents state.
Guzman continues to details several more incidents. Guzman, who is a part of the LGBT community, says that he even told her that he could turn her straight.
Guzman also says she’s “suffered economic loss,” as well as “humiliation, mental anguish, and emotional distress,” as a result of the alleged harassment and has demanded a jury trial and asked for unspecified damages.