By Brett Callwood
According to records obtained at unicourt.com, a man has filed a Labor – Wrongful Termination lawsuit against the Gardena-based manufacturer of backyard homes Cover Technologies, Inc., with the Los Angeles County Superior Courts.
The complaint was filed by John Gwinner on July 17, who is suing for age discrimination. He alleges that Cover Technologies executives said that his methods were old school, something that Gwinner disputes. They also implied that Gwinner was not good at his job.
A report by KFI FM states that, “John Gwinner’s Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit allegations against Cover Technologies Inc. include discrimination, hostile work environment, wrongful termination, whistleblower retaliation, failure to prevent discrimination, harassment or retaliation and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Gwinner seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages.”
Cover Tech hired Gwinner as a software engineer in 2021, and he alleges that executives aimed age discrimination jabs at him almost immediately, telling him in meetings that his input wasn’t relevant due to him being the oldest employee.
“In May 2022, management ignored safety measures during the coronavirus pandemic and continued to require in-person meetings, including one in which participants did not wear masks and caused seven employees, including Gwinner, to test positive for COVID-19, the suit states,” reports KFI FM.
In 2023, Gwinner alleges he was ordered to turn over a project he was working on to an intern, and he later had to turn over all his work to the same intern. 62-year-old Gwinner was fired the next day.
The case is currently pending.
