An individual who identifies as a transgender female has chosen to withdraw her lawsuit against a Native American crafts store in Woodland Hills. The individual, Emily Mikel (formerly known as Daniel Wilson), alleged that she experienced ongoing harassment and discrimination from two supervisors, leading to her decision to leave the company in 2021. This mistreatment left her feeling emotionally damaged and mistreated.
The lawsuit against Native Spirit Lodge was originally filed in Los Angeles Superior Court and included allegations of wrongful constructive termination, discrimination, harassment, whistleblower retaliation, failure to prevent discrimination, harassment, or retaliation, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
Mikel’s attorneys filed a formal request for dismissal with Judge Bruce G. Iwasaki, indicating that the case is dismissed “with prejudice,” meaning it cannot be reopened in the future. The court documents do not provide information about whether a settlement was reached or if Mikel decided not to pursue the case for other reasons.
In response to Mikel’s claims, an attorney representing Native Lodge denied the allegations, citing that they were beyond the statute of limitations.
Mikel was initially hired as a sales associate in March 2020 and publicly shared her transgender identity with her colleagues in May 2021. She stated, “I have decided to come out as a woman” and requested to be referred to as Emily from that point onwards, according to the lawsuit. However, her direct supervisor expressed irritation and disgust, treating her even worse than before, as stated in the lawsuit filed on September 6th of last year.
The supervisor displayed disrespectful behavior towards Mikel, such as rolling his eyes, sighing, and making dismissive comments. Despite being aware of Mikel’s history of major depression and anxiety, which required time off for treatment and appointments, the supervisor continued to mistreat her, as stated in the lawsuit. Additionally, another supervisor instructed Mikel to remain silent about her mental health concerns to avoid discomforting others.
Russo’s mistreatment of Mikel escalated, leading her to inform him that any name other than “Emily” was considered harassment, according to the lawsuit. Despite her request, the supervisor persisted in using her former name, “Daniel.”
In June 2021, while closing the store, the supervisor called for Mikel using her former name multiple times. When she didn’t immediately respond, he questioned her respect and asked if she would acknowledge him. Mikel responded by asking if he would respect her and address her as “Emily.”
The supervisor abruptly replied, “No,” as stated in the lawsuit.
Mikel raised concerns about the supervisor’s mistreatment, highlighting that he assigned unspecified tasks and blamed her for not completing them. In response, the supervisor shifted the conversation to criticize Mikel’s preferred name and gender identity. He belittled her for asserting her legal rights and complaining about discrimination and harassment.
“I won’t call you Emily unless it is official and you can show me proof,” stated the supervisor, according to the lawsuit.
The other supervisor remarked, “You are being too sensitive. You need to get over it,” as stated in the lawsuit.
Mikel’s anxiety and depression escalated, and during a work shift in July 2021, one of the supervisors told her, “I expect you to act the way I want you to act.” This made it clear to Mikel that the supervisors were not open to addressing further discrimination and harassment complaints, leading her to resign. She no longer felt welcome and could not tolerate the working conditions that had left her feeling emotionally damaged and mistreated, according to the lawsuit.
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