A Cloverdale woman is suing a Petaluma computer company for discrimination, saying she was recruited to move from out of state for a job, then dismissed after she, a lesbian, objected to being shown a religious video by an outspoken preacher who believes gays are sinners.
Attorneys for Ginny White filed suit in Sonoma County Superior Court last month against GC Micro, a multi-million dollar company based in Petaluma that, according to its website, supplies computer equipment and services to government agencies, the aerospace industry and Fortune 1,000 companies.
The suit names company chief executive Belinda Guadarrama and her ex-husband and company principal, Lloyd Chapman. It alleges discrimination based on White's gender and sexual orientation, state labor code violations and fraud.
Although the suit doesn't specify what damages White is seeking, her lawyer, Jarin Beck of Santa Rosa, said economic and punitive damages could be "well worth in excess of a million dollars."
Attorney Paul Gutierrez of San Francisco, who represents the company, said he wouldn't comment on pending litigation. "Those charges are totally baseless," he said.
White, 45, worked for Lockheed Martin for more than 17 years, during which time she met Guadarrama, who she said was contracting with the aerospace giant.
Guadarrama began recruiting White, the suit alleges, with promises of a long-term job at GC Micro where she would have significant responsibilities. White was at the time working for SM&A, a defense and aerospace consulting firm.
GC Micro was founded in 1986 and is a 100 percent woman- and minority-owned small business, according to its website. It is one of 38 businesses that fulfill requirements for lucrative federal government information-technology contracts.
Its website shows Guadarrama in photos with both Presidents Bush, Gerald Ford and Bill Clinton.
White said she accepted Guadarrama's job offer in 2012, left her job that paid about $140,000 a year and she and her partner put their newly remodeled Colorado home on the market to move to Sonoma County.
She began working at GC Micro in August that year as technical business development manager, working with customers and manufacturers to develop new product offerings. She was to report directly to Guadarrama, the suit alleges, with the goal of assuming some of the CEO's responsibilities.
"The first week I was there, (Guadarrama) was gone and it was clear the transition was eventually to let me run the place so she could travel to be with her mother," who was ill and living in Texas, White said.
Three months into the job, Guadarrama left for several weeks in Germany and Chapman, her ex-husband, asserted control of the company, White said.
Chapman in 2002 founded the American Small Business League, a watchdog firm and lobbying group. It operates in the same, nondescript office building as GC Micro on Cypress Drive in southeast Petaluma.
White said Chapman created an abusive and sexually inappropriate atmosphere, speaking publicly about his sex life with Guadarrama and making comments about women in the office.
"He would scream and throw chairs in sales meetings," she said. "He says he is a higher life form and he has impeccable judgment."
She said in a meeting he once drew a big square and a little square on a white board. "'Here's what I know,' he said, pointing to the big square," White quoted Chapman as saying. "
'And here's what you know,' to the little one." As part of White's training, the suit states, she was shown a video of a church sermon by Charles Stanley, a pastor at the First Baptist Church, a megachurch in Atlanta, and founder of In Touch Ministries. He has published works calling gays sinners who "walk in the dark."White said she told the training manager she didn't want to watch the Stanley video."This guy hates the gay community," White said in an interview. She said she was told to "get past" the religious aspects of the talk and focus on the subject, gossip."I know at this point it's not going to work out," she said. She'd already moved from Colorado and her partner had a new job. "But I was committed."Her position was eliminated in January.She said Chapman told her that he and Guadarrama weren't sure they wanted someone who was "gay and overweight" representing GC Micro.White's attorney, Beck, said that witnesses will corroborate employees' being required to watch the video and some of Chapman's alleged behavior.A case-management hearing is set for November. The case could take more than a year to resolve.
As part of White's training, the suit states, she was shown a video of a church sermon by Charles Stanley, a pastor at the First Baptist Church, a megachurch in Atlanta, and founder of In Touch Ministries. He has published works calling gays sinners who "walk in the dark."
White said she told the training manager she didn't want to watch the Stanley video.
"This guy hates the gay community," White said in an interview. She said she was told to "get past" the religious aspects of the talk and focus on the subject, gossip.
"I know at this point it's not going to work out," she said. She'd already moved from Colorado and her partner had a new job. "But I was committed."
Her position was eliminated in January.
She said Chapman told her that he and Guadarrama weren't sure they wanted someone who was "gay and overweight" representing GC Micro.
White's attorney, Beck, said that witnesses will corroborate employees' being required to watch the video and some of Chapman's alleged behavior.
A case-management hearing is set for November. The case could take more than a year to resolve.
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