Recently, Zillow, a prominent online real estate company, has become the subject of numerous lawsuits alleging a hostile working environment. The most recent lawsuit was filed by 41-year-old Jennifer Young, a former employee and single mother of two children. Employed as a real estate agent at the Irvine office, she has filed a lawsuit against Zillow claiming harassment and a “pervasive culture of retaliation.” Young says that the real estate company lacked in the areas of basic employment rights and human decency, while focusing primarily on sales.

Young’s claim focuses primarily on age discrimination. In the complaint filed, Young says that she was admonished to “try and keep up with us,” and asked at one point in time by a sales manager if she may be too old to close a deal. Young, who was involved in an auto accident that left her with injuries, says that her problems in the real estate office were compounded after she was involved in the car accident, and that she was made o stand for hours at a time without permission to sit. She was forced to seek hospitalization due to ongoing injuries in October of this year. Although Young reached out to the human resources department in an effort to obtain accommodation for the injuries she sustained, her sales book was assigned to another agent. The agent who took over her sales was significantly younger than Young. Also alleged in the lawsuit was the fact that when Young’s physicians were unable to provide Zillow with a note explaining her absence upon her request, she was terminated unlawfully for job abandonment.

In addition to the lawsuit filed by Young, Zillow is facing litigation regarding claims of sexual harassment made by two individuals in one of the suits. Employment practices of the real estate firm seem to be a common thread in the claims filed by three former employees. In one of the five lawsuits that have recently been filed against Zillow, a former employee, Rachel Kremer, described the company’s Irvine office as having an “adult frat house” culture.

As Los Angeles business litigation attorneys, we know that age discrimination and sexual harassment are serious issues in the workplace. In addition, when discrimination or harassment forces an employee to resign because of intolerable conditions, an employer may be liable for constructive discharge, which is a form of wrongful termination.

Employees, under the law, are not required to put up with discrimination of any type, or sexual harassment. Time will reveal the outcome of the lawsuits against Zillow. In the meantime, if you have been discriminated against in the workplace, contact our dedicated Los Angeles business attorneys at Spotora & Associates.