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Zachares named defendant in Louis Vuitton lawsuit
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Posted on Aug 11 1999
Labor Secretary Mark Zachares has been named defendant in the amended complaint filed by a resident worker who sued her former employer Louis Vuitton Ltd. Saipan.
The original civil complaint filed by sales associate Leonora Angelo only involved actions for defamation and inflicting emotional stress in connection with the store managers’ decision to fire her last year for “unacceptable work ethics” and “dishonesty.”
The store managers had accused Angelo of stealing.
The amended complaint, filed by lawyer John Chambers on behalf of Angelo, included additional actions for violation of CNMI law that upholds local-hire preference.
Angelo started working as sales associate at the store in August 1997.
In March last year, Louis Vuitton advertised a job vacancy for the position of sales supervisor.
Angelo said that despite her expressed interest in the position, her supervisors discouraged her from applying for the job. She said she was told that the vacancy announcement was only made for “renewal purposes.”
In April of the same year, Louis Vuitton advertised another announcement for the same position, which turned out to have been created only to accommodate a nonresident worker, who lost her job when Le Bonne Marché, Louis Vuitton’s sister company, closed business last year.
Angelo said despite her qualifications and her status as permanent US resident, she was twice bypassed by Louis Vuitton in favor of two nonresident workers.
Angelo has included Zachares in the complaint based on the labor chief’s recent decision to dismiss her complaint, which was originally brought to the Department of Labor and Immigration.
Angelo’s complaint was dismissed, first by Alfredo Pangelinan, the director of employment services, then by hearing officer Linn Asper.
Although labor officials rebuked Louis Vuitton for violating the local-hiring policy, they both agreed that Angelo’s’ complaint did not have a bearing since she did not formally apply for the position, in which she said she was interested.
Angelo filed an appeal to the labor secretary. Zachares upheld Asper’s decision. (MCM)
