April 9, 2021
Michael Patterson, a former District Sales Representative at the Irwindale office of Charter Communications, Inc. (“Charter”) is claiming that he faced sexual harassment and was then fired by Charter after making reports about his abuser. In his original complaint filed on April 20, 2020, Patterson claims he was sexually harassed by his supervisor, Nicholas Lopez.
In the lawsuit, Patterson states that Lopez would craft situations where the two of them were alone. This is when he would strike. Instances of sexual harassment included Lopez nuzzling Patterson and trying to hold Patterson’s hand numerous times. Each time, Patterson would refuse Lopez’s advances and ask him to cease his misconduct. Lopez immediately asked for Patterson’s resignation. This pattern of behavior spanned six months in 2018 and another month in 2019.
Patterson further alleges that, after making complaints about Lopez’s sexual misconduct to Charter’s human resources department, Charter terminated Patterson, on the basis of an unfounded allegation of a company policy violation by Patterson.
Even after Patterson began the process of seeking justice for his harm through the California courts, Charter forced Patterson into arbitration through an arbitration “agreement” that Patterson never saw, let alone signed. And the abuse does not stop there. Now, Charter seeks over $6,000 in attorney’s fees against Patterson simply because he fought against Charter’s outrageous arbitration agreement.
Patterson is currently fighting his case of sexual harassment and retaliation in private arbitration.
Patterson is represented by attorneys Kyle Todd and Samantha Johnson, of Kyle Todd, P.C. Requests for comment can be directed to attorney Todd, at (323) 208-9171.
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