A former employee has sued a prominent Bay Area cider maker for allegedly retaliating against him after he took time off work to care for his premature baby.
Emilio Arellano filed the suit against Sonoma County’s Golden State Cider on Wednesday in San Francisco Superior Court, arguing that the company violated the California Family Rights Act, among other allegations, and that the company fostered an environment that was hostile to new parents.
“As an attorney, I rarely see a long-term employee return from a protected leave for the birth of his child and come back and immediately face accusations, writeups, false accusations, then eventually termination,” said Corey Bennett, Arellano’s lawyer…