California cannabis company Jungle Boys TLC is being accused of unsafe work conditions, gender discrimination and unpaid wages, according to a lawsuit filed in April. The company has denied allegations and voiced its intention to defend itself in court.
The lawsuit was filed in California Superior Court, alleging 17 total complaints and seeking “unlimited damages.”
Plaintiffs Donna Rivadeneyra and Mario De La Cruz allege that they were fired for raising concerns about the company’s work conditions, gender discrimination and unpaid wages. Jungle Boys, however, say the employees were fired for drinking on the job.
The plaintiffs also allege in the lawsuit that the company used “stacked entities” to utilize illegal labor and that they were fired after speaking out about the practices.
Rivadeneyra claims she faced gender discrimination, being asked to move from a trimming job and being told “they were called ‘Jungle Boys’ for a reason: that no women were allowed to work in the growing operations,” Leafly outlined. She also claims she was warned she would be terminated if she got pregnant. Rivadeneyra additionally accuses members of the Jungle Boys’ HR team of keeping her working in an office to try and force her to sign a release of her claims.
A Jungle Boys spokesperson responded to the lawsuit, denying the allegations and saying “the action will be defended in court on its merits.” Jungle Boys also said that an initial investigation into the plaintiffs’ claims reveals the complaint’s claims are inaccurate, in a statement to Leafly through their attorneys.
“For example, the businesses named in the lawsuit employ workers of any gender identification in accordance with their experience and the position they seek. There are women employed in all aspects of these businesses from entry-level to upper-level management. The Chief Executive Officer of one of the businesses named in the lawsuit is a minority female,” the statement reads.
The company also said that the conflict with Rivadeneyra’s position was because of her lack of experience, not because of her gender.
“Jungle Boys is known for its exceptional product and certain standards are expected from seed-to-sale,” Jungle Boys said in the Leafly statement. “Hiring is based on those expectations and the experience the employee brings to the team. Cultivation positions are usually sought by those with previous cannabis cultivation experience.”
While the lawsuit was initially filed on April 27, the complaint gained visibility through the last couple weeks after social media sites like Reddit and Twitter caught wind. Alan Romero, the lawyer who filed the case in the California Superior Court, also helped to create the buzz after publishing the lawsuit on Scribd and Reddit.
Romero wrote on Reddit that he wanted to post the lawsuit on the site to start a conversation about the problems in the legal cannabis industry affecting women. He also invited other California residents to reach out within three years of their own experiences of “gender-based discrimination, retaliation or harassment.”
“If you were terminated on July 1, 2020, you (or an attorney acting on your behalf) would need to obtain a ‘Right-to-Sue Letter’ from the FEHA no later than July 1, 2023, and bring a lawsuit no later than a year later, on July 1, 2024,” Romero wrote. “The drop dead date would be three years from your termination. You (may) still have time to bring your action.”
Jungle Boys collective attorney Arthur D. Hodge responded on social media by posting photos of the plaintiffs near open alcohol containers and claiming they were terminated for drinking on the job.
The statement to Leafly references the photos, concluding that “the individuals who brought this claim violated workplace rules and business policies including being depicted in photographs consuming alcohol outside the business during a rest break.”
