Jayna Richardson Whitt sued Apple in California claiming the company retaliated against her after it became aware of her “domestic abuse victim status” by denying her opportunities for higher-level positions and thwarting her career growth. She’s seeking unspecified compensation for economic losses and emotional distress.
Whitt worked at Apple since 2006, during which time she says she rose to roles such as Director of IP transactions, but also faced discrimination. A White male supervisor “favored Caucasian males and subjected minorities, females, and employees with disabilities to discriminatory treatment,” she claims in the complaint filed Dec. 20 in state court in San Mateo, California.
The discrimination was evident in personnel decisions, mentoring, assignments and invitation to meetings, the patent attorney, who identified herself as single parent of Asian descent, said in her complaint.
After Whitt posted an essay in April describing retaliation and discrimination by Apple, the company launched an investigation into her conduct before terminating her employment in July.
