Former Vera Wang Seamstress Alleges Disability Discrimination

BEVERLY HILLS, CA — Legendary designer Vera Wang's store on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills was sued Thursday by a 64-year-old former seamstress who alleges she was required to work on as many as 17 dresses in a day while also being subjected to disparate treatment because of her age and health.

Aida Gharibians' Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit allegations include age discrimination and harassment, disability discrimination and harassment, wrongful termination, retaliation and both intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress. The Glendale woman also names as a defendant store manager Fabi Oshaneh.
Gharibians seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages. A Vera Wang representative did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

Celebrities who wore Vera Wang-designed dresses on their wedding days include Victoria Beckham, Victoria's Secret angel Lily Aldridge, Alicia Keys, Jessica Simpson when she tied the knot to Nick Lachey and Gwen Stefani when she married Blake Shelton. In addition, Arianna Grande wore a Vera Wang dress to the Met Gala 2018 and Scarlett Johansson donned one at the Golden Globe Awards in 2020.

Gharibians was hired in May 2010 as a seamstress and tailor and was regularly given double assignments with stringent deadlines that required her to work beyond eight hours, the suit states. She also trained new seamstresses, the suit states.

Throughout her employment at the Vera Wang store, Gharibians experienced several minor injuries due to an overwhelming workload, including a dislocated arm and an injured hip, the suit states. Management was not only aware of the plaintiff's injuries and failed to address them, but also assigned her work even while she was on vacation, the suit alleges.

In 2014, Gharibians was given 17 dresses to complete in one day compared to the seven assigned to other seamstresses, the suit states. When Gharibians asked about the discrepancy, she was told, "The customers requested you," the suit states.
When doctors told Gharibians after she was involved in a 2014 traffic accident that she would need knee surgery, management told her to wait because they needed her to keep working, the suit alleges.

Gharibians went on medical leave for several months in 2016 after having heart surgery, but when she returned, she was given a large workload despite her doctor having specified work restrictions, the suit states. The plaintiff alleges management told her that many customers had complained of financial losses while she was on leave, leaving Gharimbians to believe her supervisors wanted her to feel guilty for taking medical leave, the suit states.

After Oshaneh became a new store manager in September 2017, she often yelled at Gharibians, justifying her behavior by telling the plaintiff that she was supposed to conduct herself that way, the suit states.

Oshaneh favored younger workers, and four older employees resigned because of the manager's "abusive behavior," according to the suit, which also states that Oshaneh often asked Gharibians in 2018, "When do you plan to retire?"

Gharibians went on medical leave for surgery in November 2019 after years of suffering with her injured knee and was scheduled to return in mid- March 2020, the suit states. But when Gharibians told management that her doctors had extended her time off through April 1, 2020, she was told she was being fired because her position was eliminated, causing her emotional distress that has persisted, the suit states.

"Ultimately, plaintiff's employment with Vera Wang was unlawfully terminated without (any) real, substantial (or) compelling reason," the suit alleges.

City News Service