Antonio Villa, a former employee of Ventura Transit System, Inc., has filed a lawsuit against his ex-employer alleging wrongful termination and various labor violations. The complaint was lodged on March 13, 2025, in the Superior Court of California for the County of Ventura. Villa accuses Ventura Transit System, Inc. of retaliatory actions following his complaints about workplace safety and wage issues.
The plaintiff, Antonio Villa, asserts that during his tenure with Ventura Transit System (VTS), he faced numerous labor law violations including being denied meal and rest breaks, not being reimbursed for business expenses incurred through the use of his personal cell phone, and ultimately being wrongfully terminated. Villa began working for VTS on August 10, 2020, as a driver earning $18 per hour. He claims that throughout his employment he frequently missed meal and rest breaks due to work demands. Furthermore, Villa alleges that when he or his colleagues raised concerns about wage issues or other complaints to their supervisor Laura (last name unknown), they faced retaliatory actions such as reduced hours.
In December 2023, Villa began voicing concerns about these issues to Laura without any resolution. On January 27, 2024, while inspecting company vehicles, he discovered a safety issue with the handicap ramp on a minivan designated for patient transport. Despite reporting this to Laura and expressing safety concerns again on February 1 regarding missing weather strips on vehicle doors, no action was taken by VTS management. Instead of addressing these concerns, Villa alleges that his weekly schedule was cut by two days starting February 10.
After attempting to escalate the matter within the company and planning to report Laura's actions to Human Resources (HR), Villa found himself confronted by Laura with a write-up for past instances of tardiness on February 27. Refusing to sign without first consulting HR about the safety issues and perceived retaliation led to his termination on March 1, 2024.
Villa’s lawsuit includes multiple causes of action: whistleblower retaliation under California Labor Code §1102.5; retaliation in violation of whistleblower statutes under Labor Code §§6310 & 6311; wrongful termination in violation of public policy; intentional infliction of emotional distress; failure to pay meal and rest period compensation under Labor Code §226.7 and §512; failure to compensate for all hours worked under Labor Code §510; failure to reimburse required business expenses under Cal. Labor Code §§1198 & 2802; and failure to furnish accurate wage statements under Labor Code §226.
The plaintiff seeks various forms of relief from the court including back pay with interest, front pay until equivalent employment is secured elsewhere, compensatory damages for emotional distress and damage to professional reputation, statutory penalties for labor code violations including inaccurate wage statements up to $4000 per violation cycle, punitive damages intended as deterrence against future unlawful conduct by VTS or similar entities as well as attorney fees.
Representing Antonio Villa are attorneys Nazo Koulloukian and Amir M. Mahdavi-Pour from Koul Law Firm APC based in Glendale California while Judge presiding over Case No.: #2025CUYYT040326 remains unnamed at this stage pending further proceedings scheduled before Ventura County’s Superior Court system where it was initially filed electronically via eFiling process dated March13th year twenty-twenty-five (03/13/2025).