A legal battle is unfolding in Central Florida after a former employee of an Orlando veterinary clinic filed a federal lawsuit claiming he was fired for speaking out against an “English-only” workplace mandate.
Armani Ruiz, a Puerto Rican American, filed the complaint on February 3 in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, alleging that his former employer, Downtown Pet Hospital (DPH), used a sudden policy change to target Hispanic staff.
According to court documents, the dispute began in September 2023 when management allegedly informed Spanish-speaking staff that they were no longer permitted to use their native language while on the clock. Ruiz, who had worked as an hourly employee at the Orange County facility since April 2022, claims the clinic provided no professional or operational justification for the rule…