Husband and wife Oscar and Delmy Alfaro are suing William Shatner his wife Elizabeth in California Superior Court for wrongful termination, accusing the pair of firing them after Oscar refused to sign a release for an on-the-job injury he sustained in March 2011.
The couple, who had worked full-time at the Shatners’ Studio City, California home for 20 years (Oscar as a handyman, Delmy as a housekeeper), accused Mr. Shatner of approaching Oscar with a release after Oscar fell in the driveway and injured his back. Since the release would not cover Oscar’s medical bills, he refused to sign it. The Alfaro’s suit accuses the Shatners of harassing them over the incident, and notes “it is a fundamental and substantial policy of the state of Californiato maintain a workplace free of harassment and discrimination. [S]aid fundamental and public policy extends to the right of employees to file labor complaints without risk of harm or fear of retaliation.”
Though a year passed between the accident and the couple’s termination, the pair insists that the Shatners merely allowed this time to pass to give them a pretextual reason for the firing, hiding the fact that Oscar was in fact fired because he would not sign the release.