ZAJI Obatala Zajradhara is accusing another business establishment of discrimination based on race, national origin, religion, and color of skin in a lawsuit he filed in federal court.
Zajradhara, 58, is demanding an award of undetermined amount of damages.
He is also seeking permission to proceed with his lawsuit without paying fees or costs.
He filed the lawsuit against PC Bargain after receiving a dismissal and notice of rights from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission regarding his Civil Rights Act complaint dated June 11, 2021.
The EEOC stated that it will “not proceed further with its investigation, and makes no determination about whether further investigation would establish violations of the statute. This does not mean the claims have no merit. This determination does not certify that the respondent is in compliance with the statutes. The EEOC makes no finding as to the merits of any other issues that might be construed as having been raised by this charge.”
According to Zajradhara’s complaint against PC Bargain, he applied for the positions of general manager and administrative assistant on Aug. 30, 2020.
He said he filed the complaint because he wasn’t contacted by the company regarding his interview.
Copies of the email between him and PC Bargain indicated that he was asked if he could be interviewed via Zoom.
Zajradhara, in an email, said he was “DEMANDING A PHYSICAL INTERVIEW; MOREOVER “ZOOM SOFTWARE” IS NOT, I REPEAT NOT SECURE, AND THEREFORE I SHALL NOT PLACE NEITHER MT [sic] PERSONAL NOR DATA OF OTHERS IN HARMS WAY. THANK YOU.”
In its reply, PC Bargain said it could set up an interview for the next day at around 3 to 4 p.m. via Zoom.
But according to Zajradhara, “I DO NOT UTILIZE ZOOM SOFTWARE DUE TO MY WORK WITH THE UNITED STATES FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, AND ZOOM HAS BEEN LABELED AS A SECURITY THREAT. SO YOU MAY CALL ME @ [***-***-****].”
“Advise me the best time to call you,” PC Bargain replied.
“[C]all monday [sic] morning? 9-10am?” Zajradhara’s email stated.
Three days later, on Sept. 29, 2020, he sent the following email to PC Bargain:
“HELLO, I HAVENT RECEIVED A PHONE CALL REGARDING THE POSITION… OCT 1ST IS IN 2 DAYS IF I DO NOT HEAR FROM YOU BY THEN I SHALL FILE A FEDERAL COMPLAINT AGAINST THE BUSINESS. THANK YOU.”
In September 2019, the CNMI Department of Labor-Administrative Hearing Office granted a motion for sanctions against Zajradhara over a labor complaint he filed against a restaurant for not hiring him as a waiter.
According to the hearing office, “It is an uncontroverted fact that [Zajradhara] has a history of filing many labor complaints. It has also been demonstrated that [he] has initiated a series of unmeritorious claims in various venues against [the restaurant].”
The hearing office deemed Zajradhara’s complaint “frivolous and devoid of merit.”
In March 2019, six House members introduced House Resolution 21-5 “to declare Zaji O. Zajradhara, formerly known as Steven Carl Farmer, a persona non-grata in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.”
According to the resolution, the Legislature is “cognizant of the malicious and ill-mannered actions of Zaji O. Zajradhara…in his filings of numerous labor claims against various businesses in the CNMI….”
The resolution stated that Zajradhara “has also expressed a violent and threatening nature to such businesses…and to the employees of the Department of Labor….”
Zaji Zajradhara
