Ingrid Avenda帽o filed the suit Monday in California Superior Court, claiming that during the more than two years she worked at Uber, she "experienced a male-dominated work culture, permeated with degrading, marginalizing, discriminatory, and sexually harassing conduct towards women."
At one point, she says in the suit, a male coworker at a recruiting event in October 2014 said publicly that ��Uber is the type of company where women can sleep their way to the top.�� She later�learned that same employee had spread a ��false and offensive rumor�� about her�that ��she had slept with someone at the company.��
After lodging two complaints about harassing behavior, Avenda帽o�says she ��was isolated and ignored by many male Uber managers and other employees.��
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Avenda帽o said she was inappropriately touched during a company retreat by a male senior software engineer who made other inappropriate sexual advances. Inappropriate remarks were also made via the company's internal instant messenger system, she says in the suit.
In 2015, the harassment led to her to begin suffering panic attacks, Avenda帽o�said. Subsequently, she�checked herself into a hospital in January 2016 for exhaustion, burnout, depress and anxiety ��caused in large part by the ongoing discriminatory conduct," she says�in the suit.
In March 2016, Avenda帽o said she spoke to her manager in support of fellow software engineer Susan Fowler, who in February 2017 would publish a�widely-read blog post about sexual harassment, discrimination and retaliation she faced at Uber. In her suit, Avenda帽o said she told management�and human resources that the company was mishandling Fowler's complaint and that it "created a hostile work environment."
In her suit, Avenda帽o also says she was denied promotions and comparable raises and, as a retaliatory move, was required to work long hours as an on-call engineer.
The situation worsened, Avenda帽o says, and she "felt threatened, intimidated, and retaliated against" for raising concerns about the workplace. She took a two-month leave of absence in April 2016 for "mental and physical symptoms of extreme anxiety," she said.
After an internal report looking into the workplace, Uber management�minimized "the harassment and discrimination claims raised by Fowler, her and others,"�Avenda帽o�says in the suit.�Having concluded "Uber would continue to refuse to address unlawful conduct," Avenda帽o says in the suit, she resigned June 28, 2017.
In June 2017 Uber fired 20 employees after an internal investigation found more than 200 claims of sexual harassment, bullying and other workplace violations. Later that month, CEO and co-founder Travis Kalanick resigned after investors raised concerns about the issues at the company.
Avenda帽o had previously been part of a class action suit filed in October 2017 by three Latina software engineers but opted out of the suit's settlement two months ago.
This�suit comes a week after the company changed its forced arbitration policy to allow those bringing sexual assault, rape or sexual harassment suits against the company and its employees to have their case argued in court.
It remains to be seen whether the company will require Avenda帽o to go to arbitration on her other claims, such as discrimination and�wrongful termination.
"Uber is moving in a new direction," the company said in a statement in response to the suit. "And in the past year we have implemented a new salary and equity structure based on the market, overhauled our performance review process, published Diversity & Inclusion reports, and created and delivered diversity and leadership trainings to thousands of employees globally.��
Follow USA TODAY reporter Mike Snider on Twitter: @MikeSnider.
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