HOUSTON - Claiming Honing Inc. terminated him because he is Mexican, Harris County resident Freddy Santos has filed a lawsuit.
Recent court documents filed Feb. 27 in the Houston Division of the Southern Division of Texas show Santos reportedly lost his job with the defendant after seven years following a two-vehicle accident with a co-worker.
Santos explains that the co-worker, a white male, proceeded to take unauthorized pictures of him and another co-worker in addition to his wife when she visited the Honing premises.
"Mr. Hackett shortly thereafter returned after he Photoshopped those pictures to show that everyone in them had been shot and so killed," the suit says.
"Mr. Hackett had also mentioned on various occasions that he has a lot of guns so that he could shoot Mexicans and 'wetbacks'."
The plaintiff adds he reported Hackett, who is not a defendant in the litigation, to his immediate supervisor and the company's human resources department to no avail as the respondent purportedly demoted him from a lucrative shift and then ultimately terminating him.
Meanwhile, Honing spared Hackett of any disciplinary action and even allowed him to keep his position in the coveted night shift, the original petition says.
It insists that Santos "had done nothing wrong and it was Mr. Hackett who had made the derisive and discriminatory comments and conducted the misconduct."
A jury trial is requested.
Attorney Donald T. Cheatham of Houston is representing the complainant.
Case No. 4:13-CV-537