A former employee has filed a lawsuit against Nilkhant 2 Car Wash, LLC, also known as Bethpage Car Wash, along with Rakeshbhai Patel, Darpan Patel, and Ronak Patel, alleging discrimination and wrongful termination following her pregnancy.
The case filed by plaintiff Liliana Carolina Yanes details a series of alleged discriminatory acts against her during her employment at Bethpage Car Wash from March 2020 to July 2023. Yanes claims she faced discrimination based on sex, pregnancy, disability, and family status—violations under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and the New York State Human Rights Law. The lawsuit states that despite being aware of her pregnancy and familial responsibilities as a single mother of two young children at the time, her employers failed to provide necessary accommodations or inform her of her rights under federal and state laws concerning job discrimination.
Yanes recounts multiple instances where she was subjected to unfair treatment. After informing her supervisor about her pregnancy difficulties in early 2023, she alleges that no protective measures were taken when a coworker became physically aggressive toward her. Furthermore, Yanes was reportedly assigned tasks unsuitable for her condition and faced unjust disciplinary actions compared to other employees. Her attempts to secure paid family leave or disability benefits were allegedly ignored by management even after she submitted the required documentation multiple times.
The situation worsened post-pregnancy when Yanes was denied re-employment after attempting to return from maternity leave. Despite providing medical documentation supporting her readiness to resume work by September 18, 2023, she received a text message from Merritt, the car wash manager, stating that she had been replaced. This led Yanes to file an arbitration demand against their insurance carrier due to the employer's refusal to process the necessary paperwork for paid family leave.
Yanes seeks relief through lost income compensation due to unemployment caused by alleged wrongful termination shortly after childbirth. She also demands emotional damages for the stress and anxiety she experienced due to financial instability while caring for her newborn son without income support. Additionally, punitive damages are sought because the defendants acted with malice, intending harm upon exploiting Yanes' lack of legal knowledge regarding employment rights.
The plaintiff is represented by attorney Steven John Moser of Moser Law Firm P.C. The case was filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York under Case No: 2:25-cv-01376-LGD.