Foley Secures Second Victory for Menzies Aviation in Discrimination and Retaliation Lawsuit

Foley & Lardner LLP has secured a second victory for Menzies Aviation Inc. (Menzies) in a discrimination and retaliation lawsuit brought by former San Francisco fueling supervisor Renaldo Navarro. After winning summary judgment for Menzies in the case in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, Foley convinced the United States Court of Appeal for the Ninth Circuit to uphold Menzies’ win over Navarro’s lawsuit claiming he had been terminated based on his race.

The unanimous three-judge panel affirmed the district court’s February 2021 decision granting Menzies’ motion for summary judgment on the supervisor’s suit under the California Fair Employment Housing Act and state public policy.

“The appellate court reached the right outcome, and we’re happy with the result,” shared Christopher Ward, Foley partner and lead counsel for Menzies.

The Foley team was led by Christopher Ward with assistance from Associate Sara Abarbanel.

Law360 covered Menzies’ victory in an article titled, “9th Circ. Won’t Revive Fired Filipino Manager’s Bias Suit.” Subscribers can access the full article by clicking here.