A former employee of the Major League Soccer team, Chivas USA has filed a lawsuit against the MLS club. The suit claims that team officials violated employment laws by temporarily hiring undocumented coaches and discriminating against non-Latino employees. This is the second time in four months that the Chivas USA soccer club is facing discrimination allegations.
Cynthia Craig, a former human resources and administrative manager, filed court papers that stated she was harassed by team owner Jorge Vergara and team President Jose David because she was not Latino and could not speak Spanish. Craig identifies as black. Following the discrimination, Craig left the team in July after a period of prolonged harassment, the complaint states.
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The lawsuit filed by Craig also claims that starting in January, while she was still an employee with Chivas USA, the team hired four coaches from Mexico even though they were not authorized to work in the United States. Craig became aware of their employment authorization because she was told by team officials to add the undocumented Mexican coaches to the payroll, but she refused. Instead, Chivas USA executives paid the coaches by other means. The lawsuit does state that the undocumented coaches had received visas in April.
Craig's lawsuit which was filed in the in Los Angeles Superior Court details the discrimination and states that its practice began when Vergara, a former part owner, gained full control of the team in November 2012. After gaining full-control of Chivas USA, Vergara began harassing non-Latino employees.
Craig claims that Vergare would began staff meetings in Spanish and then say, in English, "If you didn't understand what I just said, then it is time for you to get a job down the hall."
Vergara's discriminatory behavior against non-Latinos has been noted through his public career. Vergara also owns a Mexican team called Chivas de Guadalajara, which is notable because it will not sign non-Mexican players.
"Plaintiff repeatedly complained about these and many other unlawful practices after Vergara acquired exclusive control of Chivas," said the complaint, filed by Los Angeles attorney Lisa Maki. "In response, Chivas engaged in a pattern and practice of wanton retaliation against plaintiff."
Craig is also connected to another discrimination lawsuit filed against Chivas USA. According to Fox News, two former youth coaches, Daniel Calichman and Theothoros Chronopoulos, sued Chivas USA on claims that they were fired from their positions for being non-Latino. The former coaches, who identity as white, worked for more than a year for the team's academy, which provides soccer programs for youths. Their lawsuit states that Chivas USA is trying to mirror the "Mexican-only" policy of its Guadalajara counterpart.
According to her complaint, Craig also claims that as human resources manager she attempted to clarify Vergara's statements for non-Spanish speaking employees through team executives. "Plaintiff again told (team president) David, this time in front of the entire management team, that the staff was shocked and offended by Vergara's discriminatory statements," the complaint states. "David asserted that the statements were just 'black humor,' and that if people wanted to resign, that would be fine with him."
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