Cristina Tagle and her counsel Stephen C. Woodruff named the defendants as the Tan-owned Concorde Garment Manufacturing/L&T International Corp., which used to be the island’s largest garment manufacturer.
She is seeking an award for punitive damages and lost earnings, an award of expectation, incidental, consequential and punitive damages according to law, reasonable attorney’s fees and other relief as the court deems proper.
The complaint stated that Tagle was employed by the defendant as a sample maker beginning in Dec. 2004. She said her job contract was not renewed on Dec. 27 the following year maybe because “she was pregnant.” She added that she was told to look for another job elsewhere.
According to the complaint, the defendant “offered no reason for not renewing Tagle’s contract despite her exemplary performance in her job.”
She said the defendant hired Chinese workers and continued to renew the contracts of the other Chinese workers.
Tagle believed she was discharged because of her national origin in addition to her pregnancy.
She said that while the Chinese workers were given overtime assignments, she and other Filipino workers were deprived of the chance to render overtime work.
Tagle filed charges of discrimination against the defendant on Dec. 5, 2005 with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on Saipan within the 180-day period after the occurrence of the unlawful employment practices.
On March 5, 2008, EEOC issued Tagle a notice of suit rights, giving her a chance to file her complaint within 90 days from the notice.
Woodruff, in the complaint, stated three causes of action against the defendant — pregnancy/sex discrimination, disparate treatment on termination/national origin discrimination, and disparate treatment on overtime work assignments.
