HOUSTON – A local man’s lawsuit against Citgo Petroleum Corp. asserts that the U.S.-based arm of Venezuelan national oil company PDVSA transferred the plaintiff out of a position because he complained about discrimination based on national origin.
According to recent Houston federal court records, Edgardo R. Ordorica filed the 7-page suit on Aug. 21. Ordorica is currently employed by Citgo as a corporate recruiter, a position the complaint insinuates is a downgrade from his previous one as a senior compensate analyst.
The plaintiff explains that he was concerned regarding company CEO Nelson Martinez’s supposed reference for “people who either had Venezuelan citizenship or were of Venezuelan national origin.”
“Ordorica believes that Nelson was perpetrating discrimination against workers who were not of Venezuelan origin,” the original petition says.
Concluding that workers of Venezuelan origin were on the positive end of pay decisions dictated by senior management, Ordorica complained to the then-human resources vice president, Marisol Gomez, in early 2017 about the apparent preferential treatment.
The plaintiff was reportedly reassigned to his current position after his conversation with Gomez, who the suit says was sent back to Venezuela. He insists the move was retaliatory in nature.
“The transfer was functionally a demotion,” the suit says.
Consequently, Ordorica seeks unspecified monetary damages and a jury trial.
He is represented by Andrew S. Golub of the law firm Dow Golub Remels & Gilbreath, PLLC in Houston.
Houston Division of the Southern District of Texas Case No. 4:18-CV-2888