Maria Serrato, a former employee of a caregiving company, has filed a lawsuit alleging wrongful termination and retaliation after reporting mistreatment of residents. The complaint was filed by Serrato on January 24, 2025, in the Superior Court of California, County of Ventura against Normal Life of California, Inc., ResCare Rest Assured, LLC, and ResCare, Inc.
Serrato's allegations are rooted in her employment as a Direct Support Professional starting in October 2019. She claims that by mid-2022 she witnessed colleagues Rosa Cadenas and Maria Lopez engaging in abusive behavior towards residents. This included overmedicating them, using profanity, neglecting hygiene needs while falsifying records to indicate otherwise. Despite repeatedly reporting these issues to her supervisor Bulmaro Tapia and later to Registered Nurse Aleta Morris and Program Manager Cristina Williams, no corrective action was taken. Instead, Serrato faced retaliation culminating in her suspension on March 1, 2024, followed by termination on March 8 for allegedly failing to report abuse timely.
The lawsuit asserts three causes of action: violation of whistleblower protection under Labor Code §1102.5; retaliation and discrimination under Health & Safety Code §1278.5; and wrongful termination in violation of public policy. Serrato argues that her reports were protected activities under California law and that her firing was retaliatory.
Serrato seeks damages exceeding $35,000 for lost wages and benefits due to wrongful termination. She also requests punitive damages for emotional distress caused by the alleged misconduct and seeks civil penalties up to $10,000 per violation under Labor Code §1102.5(f) and $25,000 per violation under Health & Safety Code §1278.5. Additionally, she demands injunctive relief to prevent future unlawful conduct by the defendants.
Representing Serrato are attorneys Ruben Limonjyan, Zara Arakelyan, and Geoffrey Dickhaut from Limonjyan Law Group APC based in Glendale, CA. The case is identified as Case No.: 2025 CLUVYT O35 454 with Judge Hannah Cressy presiding.