Napa Jury Awards $252,000 to Pregnant Temp Worker Wrongfully Terminated by Rancho Gordo

Martha Martinez worked as a temporary packing employee at the Rancho Gordo warehouse in Napa from late 2019 through 2020. During that time, she alleged that the company discriminated against her based on her sex, pregnancy, and national origin — and that when she was let go, it was not due to the "seasonal needs" the company cited, but because she was pregnant.

After four days of deliberation — including breaking an initial deadlock — the Napa jury ruled in Martinez's favor on the most significant charges. Jurors determined that her pregnancy was a factor in her termination, that the termination caused her real harm, and that the company retaliated against her by denying her future work after she complained that she had been fired because of her pregnancy.

The jury awarded Martinez damages in four categories, reflecting both the economic and human cost of what she experienced. Rancho Gordo and its owner Steve Sando contested the verdict, stating in an internal Slack message to staff that the termination was "for seasonal needs, not discrimination," and that "the emotional jury thought otherwise."

In August 2023, a judge granted the company's motion for a new trial on the pregnancy discrimination charge, finding insufficient evidence to establish that the company's Director of Operations, Jason Lucero, knew of Martinez's pregnancy at the time of her termination. The case continued, with the central question of what management knew — and when — still pending before the court.