In a dramatic legal confrontation, a former employee has filed a lawsuit against his previous employer, alleging age discrimination and wrongful termination. The complaint was filed by Elhachmi Elyakoubi in the Superior Court of California, County of Ventura, on September 3, 2025, targeting P.W. Gillibrand Co., Inc. as the defendant.
The plaintiff, Elhachmi Elyakoubi, accuses P.W. Gillibrand Co., Inc., a California corporation specializing in aggregate products, of multiple violations under the Government Code §§12940 et seq., including discrimination based on age, retaliation for engaging in protected activities, failure to prevent such discrimination and retaliation, and wrongful termination in violation of public policy. Elyakoubi claims that he was pressured to retire due to his age and eventually replaced by a younger employee. According to the complaint, Elyakoubi was hired initially in June 1992 as a quality control manager and rehired in June 2010 after leaving briefly in 2005. Despite satisfactory performance reviews throughout his tenure, he alleges that beginning around 2020, his managers frequently questioned him about retirement plans.
The situation escalated when P.W. Gillibrand Co., Inc. hired another quality control manager in June 2023—a man in his thirties—and instructed Elyakoubi to train this new hire while informing him that there could not be two quality control managers at the company. Subsequently, Elyakoubi’s salary was halved with an ultimatum to either accept the pay cut or retire by May 17, 2024—his eventual termination date.
Elyakoubi asserts that these actions were part of a broader policy at P.W. Gillibrand Co., Inc., which disproportionately affected employees over the age of forty. At seventy-one years old at the time of his termination, Elyakoubi contends that age discrimination was a substantial motivating factor behind his dismissal. He also alleges that after raising concerns about this discriminatory treatment with human resources director Robert Ayala and others within the company hierarchy, no remedial action was taken.
The lawsuit seeks various forms of relief from the court: compensatory damages exceeding $35,000 for lost wages and benefits; general damages for emotional distress; punitive damages for what is described as malicious conduct by P.W. Gillibrand Co., Inc.; declaratory judgment affirming equal standing under law; injunctive relief preventing future discriminatory practices; reinstatement to his former position; and attorney’s fees along with other costs associated with litigation.
Representing Elhachmi Elyakoubi is attorney Ramin R. Younessi from the Law Offices of Ramin R. Younessi—a professional law corporation based in Los Angeles known for handling employment-related disputes.
The case is assigned Case No. 2025 CU WTOS0138 under Judge K. Bieker’s jurisdiction at Ventura Superior Court.
Source: 2025CUWT050138_Elhachimi_Elyakoubi_v_Pw_Gillibrand_Complaint_County_of_Ventura_California.pdf
Source: 2025CUWT050138_Elhachimi_Elyakoubi_v_Pw_Gillibrand_Complaint_County_of_Ventura_California.pdf
Source: 2025CUWT050138_Elhachimi_Elyakoubi_v_Pw_Gillibrand_Complaint_County_of_Ventura_California.pdf
Source: 2025CUWT050138_Elhachimi_Elyakoubi_v_Pw_Gillibrand_Complaint_County_of_Ventura_California.pdf
