A former employee has filed a lawsuit against a genetics corporation, alleging multiple violations of employment laws, including wrongful termination and discrimination. The complaint was filed by Brandon Buster in the Superior Court of California, County of Ventura, on March 3, 2025, against Ambry Genetics Corporation and individual defendants Donovan Cheng and Catherine Suh.
Brandon Buster claims that his employment with Ambry Genetics Corporation was marked by exemplary performance until he was wrongfully terminated on February 12, 2025. He alleges that after returning from paternity leave under the California Family Rights Act (CFRA), he was demoted without justification. Despite receiving positive feedback and even a $10,000 bonus for his contributions to the company in May 2024, Buster asserts that upon his return from leave on February 6, 2025, his role was significantly altered to remove supervisory responsibilities. This change prompted him to file complaints with the company's human resources department, which he claims were ignored.
Buster's lawsuit accuses Ambry Genetics Corporation of several violations including associational disability discrimination under Government Code §12940 et seq., harassment creating a hostile work environment as per Government Code §§12923 and 12940(j), negligence in hiring and supervision practices, retaliation for taking CFRA leave, failure to prevent discrimination and harassment, whistleblower retaliation violating Labor Code §§1102.5 and 1102.6, and wrongful termination against public policy.
The plaintiff is seeking various forms of relief from the court. These include general damages for emotional distress and loss of earnings; special damages for lost wages and benefits; punitive damages due to alleged malicious conduct by the defendants; statutory penalties; attorney’s fees; costs of suit; pre-judgment interest; post-judgment interest; and any other relief deemed appropriate by the court.
The case is being handled by Elizabeth M. Votra from Wilshire Law Firm representing Brandon Buster. The case number is identified as 2935 CLIOEO39396 in the Ventura County Superior Court records.