Jorge I. Esparza, a former employee of Kenwood Liquors, Inc., has filed a lawsuit against his employer alleging racial discrimination and retaliation. The complaint was lodged on January 8, 2025, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Esparza accuses Kenwood Liquors of subjecting him to a hostile work environment due to his race and national origin, as well as retaliating against him for reporting such discrimination.
Esparza's complaint details a series of discriminatory acts he faced during his tenure at Kenwood Liquors, where he began working as a security guard in June 2007. He alleges that he was the only non-Caucasian security guard and was gradually assigned additional job duties that were inconsistent with his role without any increase in pay. These duties included preparing carry-out orders, managing pricing tags, and outdoor maintenance without safety equipment. Furthermore, Esparza claims that while he was burdened with these tasks, other security guards were allowed to remain idle or leave their posts.
The complaint highlights several instances of harassment and racial slurs directed at Esparza by his superiors and coworkers. He recounts an incident where a photo of three children was shown to him with the comment "That's you" pointing to the child with a darker complexion. Other allegations include having habanero pepper placed in his food and being mocked over the workplace intercom with statements like "Jorge, immigration is coming for you." Esparza also mentions derogatory terms used against him such as "wetback," "mule," and "Mexican."
Esparza asserts that despite making complaints about this treatment in January 2022 and filing a Charge of Discrimination with the EEOC in September 2023, no action was taken by Kenwood Liquors to address these issues. Instead, he claims that after lodging these complaints, his work hours were reduced and certain paychecks withheld. Ultimately, Esparza was terminated from his position on July 24, 2024.
In response to these grievances, Esparza seeks various forms of relief from the court including equitable/injunctive relief, compensatory damages for lost wages and emotional distress, punitive damages, reasonable attorney’s fees, costs and disbursements. He demands a jury trial for each count listed in his complaint which includes violations under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Section 1981 concerning race/national origin/ethnicity discrimination and retaliation.
Representing Jorge I. Esparza is Michael T. Smith from the Law Offices of Michael T. Smith & Associates P.C., while Kenwood Liquors is represented by Patrick M Spellman and Kerry E Saltzman from Williams Bax & Saltzman P.C.. The case is being overseen by Judge Amrith Kaur Aakre under Case ID: 1:25-cv-00233.