A man is suing National Debt Relief, alleging he was wrongfully fired in 2022 for taking time off to deal with relentless pressure to produce high volume business for a company where he had been a top producer.
The multiple causes of action in Marvin Kharrazi's Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit include wrongful termination, employment discrimination, harassment, retaliation, failure to accommodate and engage in the interactive process and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Kharrazi seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages.
A National Debt Relief representative did not immediately reply to a request for comment on the suit brought July 10.
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Plaintiff was first hired to work for the debt consolidation company in February 2017 as a team lead of sales in Culver City and generated millions of dollars for NDR, prompting his promotion to team lead within a year after taking his job, the suit states.
However, the pressure from NDR to deliver substantial results become "unrelenting," requiring 14-hour work days with no breaks, according to the suit, which further states he began to suffer from severe bouts of stress and anxiety because of the "harassment, toxic work environment and excessive workload."
Kharrazi later began to suffer from a "nervous tic" he had developed due to his work environment and he was later diagnosed with depression and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, which was the first time in his life he had been found to have mental health issues, the suit states.
Kharrazi began using vacation time due to his deteriorating health and returned to work after one month and was greeted with the same hostile work environment that had triggered his initial leave, according to the suit.
When Kharrazi eventually went on leave, he was bombarded with emails about his condition, the suit alleges.
"Defendants even unreasonably threatened termination if he did not show them proof," the suit states. "This wholly inappropriate behavior displayed by defendants caused plaintiff to feel further stressed and resulted in severe anxiety and panic attacks."
Kharrazi was hospitalized for his disabilities in December 2021, but he was further badgered by requests he supply management with documents that he really was at the hospital and the plaintiff complied, the suit alleges.
"Plaintiff was under constant stress during this time due to defendants' incessant requests for more information, which significantly exacerbated his anxiety," the suit states.
Kharrazi was terminated in July 2022 while still on leave on grounds of too many absences while knowing about his medical problems and the treatment he was getting, the suit states.
"NDR was well aware that he was not yet cleared to return to work, but was progressing and hoping to return in the near future," according to the suit.
Kharrazi inquired about getting rehired after his termination, but he was ignored, according to the suit, which further alleges that Kharrazi continues to suffer substantial losses in earnings and job benefits, humiliation, embarrassment and emotional distress.
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