Mohamed Saifudeen v. Ralph's Grocery Company, et al.

Summary

A California state court jury returned a defense verdict August 4th in a wrongful termination lawsuit filed by a former Ralphs Grocery employee who claimed he was fired after complaining about failure to accommodate his religious obligations.

The Los Angeles County jury reached their decision in a trial that began July 18. Plaintiff Mohamed Saifudeen accused Kroger-owned Ralphs of not allowing him time off to take his children to religious school on Saturdays or to observe holidays like Ramadan and then firing him in 2016 in retaliation for lodging complaints with his union representatives.

Saifudeen’s attorneys sought roughly $7.2 million in damages, but attorneys for Ralphs successfully argued management at the company repeatedly made reasonable scheduling accommodations for Saifudeen, and that he was legally terminated due to insubordination and poor job performance.

Outcome

Defense verdict