NEW ORLEANS – A Louisiana woman claims she was fired from her job as the general manager of a Motel 6 in retaliation for reporting discriminatory comments made about her disability.
Plaintiff Paula Atzenhoffer, a resident of St. Tammany Parish, filed her lawsuit November 19 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana. The named defendant is Maa Bhavani SD LLC.
According to Atzenhoffer’s seven-page filing, she suffers from congestive heart failure, which is a defect in her heart rendering it unable to pump blood properly. She is unable to perform major life functions such as living, breathing, speaking, walking, sitting, standing, and bending.
Atzenhoffer claims she underwent open heart surgery in 2019, but the procedure did not cure the defect in her heart.
In 2009, she began working as a general manager for Motel 6. According to her filing, she “excelled” in her position and received “numerous accolades” for her performance.
In fact, she states she was “so successful” that she was asked by her then-employer to train and assist other general managers at hotels that were not producing income.
This continued until March 31, 2019, when Atzenhoffer began working for the defendant as a general manager at the hotel located at 136 Taos Street in Slidell.
Beginning in 2023, Charles Chaniyara was hired to serve as corporate manager, supervising Atzenhoffer until her termination in 2024.
Atzenhoffer claims the defendant, through Chaniyara, “openly sought to replace and terminate” her employment due to her age and disability.
Also in 2023, the defendant – again, through Chaniyara – hired Manjeet Kaur as general manager at the Slidell location. Upon her hiring, Kaur was given supervisory authority over Atzenhoffer and, in turn, stripped Atzenhoffer of some job duties.
Kaur openly admitted she was hired by the defendant to replace Atzenhoffer due to her age and medical condition, according to the complaint.
“Ms. Kaur stated to Petitioner that she felt bad about being hired to replace Petitioner because Mr. Chaniyara told her that Petitioner was not doing any work, which Ms. Kaur admitted knowing was false,” the lawsuit states.
Atzenhoffer contends she was subjected to derogatory comments about her age and disability on a “weekly basis,” including repeated questioning by Kaur and others about when she was going to retire and when she was going to have another heart attack.
“Throughout her employment, Petitioner repeatedly protested, opposed, reported, and complained about the age and disability-based discrimination/harassment in her working environment, to no avail,” the complaint states.
“No action was taken by defendant to stop the age and disability-based discrimination/harassment which was open, obvious, and pervasive in the workplace, including and/or in the presence of Petitioner’s co-workers and subordinates.”
In February 2024, the defendant hired additional general managers and stripped Atzenhoffer of more job duties.
Kumar Kumeo, one of the new general managers, allegedly admitted to Atzenhoffer that the defendant was going to get rid of her because of her health.
“Mr. Kameo openly mocked Petitioner’s disability, including stating to Ms. Karu that Petitioner was about to have a heart attack after he disclosed to Petitioner that he was replacing her as General Manager,” the complaint states.
In response to the alleged harassment, Atzenhoffer filed a complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and notified the defendant in an email March 6, 2024.
Hours later that same day, the defendant terminated her employment for “lack of work.”
“Defendant’s proffered reason for termination changed and/or shifted in its response to Petitioner’s EEOC Charge to ‘performance-related concerns’ although she had no disciplinary history and was performing satisfactorily,” her filing states.
“The actions and deliberate inactions of defendant constitute illegal age and disability-based discrimination, harassment, and retaliation in violation of the ADEA and ADA, for which Petitioner sues for herein.”
Atzenhoffer alleges she sustained various damages, including physical injuries, personal and/or bodily injuries, exacerbation of her disability, pain and suffering, lost wages and benefits, loss of earning capacity, past and future medical expenses, humiliation and embarrassment, and “severe and extreme” emotional distress and mental anguish.
Jill L. Craft, Attorney at Law, LLC in Baton Rouge is representing Atzenhoffer in the action.
