A former employee of a limousine service has filed a lawsuit alleging a hostile work environment and retaliation. On December 26, 2024, Chevone Pigott filed a complaint in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York against her former employer, Mirage Limousine Service, Inc.
The lawsuit claims that Pigott faced continuous sexual harassment from a coworker and was retaliated against after reporting the misconduct.
Pigott, who worked as a dispatcher for Mirage Limousine Service from March 2022 to August 2023, alleges that she was subjected to persistent sexual harassment by her coworker Salvador Civello.
According to the complaint, Civello frequently made inappropriate comments about Pigott's appearance and touched her without consent. Despite informing the company's owner, Farzin Abideh, about Civello's behavior, no corrective action was taken.
Instead, Abideh dismissed Pigott's concerns with remarks like "That's just Sal," suggesting an acceptance of such conduct within the workplace.
The complaint further details instances where Civello's actions escalated to physical contact and verbal aggression. For example, he reportedly gave Pigott unsolicited massages and became enraged when she did not respond to his questions while on a call with a customer.
After these incidents were reported to Abideh, rather than addressing the issue with Civello, Abideh allegedly began criticizing Pigott’s work performance and attitude unjustly.
Pigott claims that after she formally complained about the harassment, her working conditions deteriorated further. She alleges that Abideh altered her schedule unfavorably and criticized her for taking breaks—privileges that were seemingly available to other employees without issue.
Eventually, Pigott was terminated under circumstances she believed were retaliatory following her complaints about Civello’s behavior.
In her lawsuit, Pigott accuses Mirage Limousine Service of violating Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, along with New York State and City Human Rights Laws, by fostering a hostile work environment based on sex/gender discrimination and retaliating against her for reporting it.
She seeks compensatory damages for emotional distress and financial losses incurred due to the alleged unlawful termination. Additionally, she requests punitive damages to deter similar future conduct by the defendant company.
The case is being handled by attorney Liane Fisher from Fisher Taubenfeld LLP, representing Chevone Pigott. The case ID is 1:24-cv-8809.