A former Facebook employee, who was sacked in 2013, is suing the social media giant for sex discrimination, sex harassment, race discrimination, and intentional infliction of emotional distress, among other allegations. Chia Hong claimed that the US-based company had a "hostile work environment" where she was belittled, ordered to organize parties and serve drinks to male colleagues, and asked why she didn't just take care of her child, reported The Verge.
Hong contended that she was not just discriminated for being a woman but also for being a Taiwanese and that she was replaced by a "less qualified, less experienced Indian male." She worked at the company for more than three years, first as a product manager and then as a technology partner in finance. She was fired on October 17, 2013. The lawsuit named other defendants besides Facebook, including Anil Wilson and John Does.
A Facebook spokesperson commented on the issue by saying that the company worked extremely hard to address issues related to diversity, gender and equality, and added that it believed it had made progress. The spokesperson further added that the company had substantive disagreements on the facts pertaining to the case and believed that the record showed the employee was treated fairly."
The lawsuit was filed on Monday in San Mateo Superior Court. Hong is being represented by Lawless and Lawless, one of two law firms currently representing Ellen Pao in her gender discrimination suit against the Silicon Valley venture capital firm. Hong is asking for punitive damages.
