Tentative settlement in case of ex-Disney worker who claimed discrimination due to age, Armenian heritage

A tentative settlement has been reached in a lawsuit brought by a late Los Feliz man who said he was wrongfully fired as a mail center messenger at the Walt Disney Co. because he was more than 50 years old and of Armenian heritage.

Khatchatur Berberian also maintained management did nothing when he complained he was harassed by a supervisor. Berberian sued in Los Angeles Superior Court in September 2023, but he died of cardiac arrest at age 53 on Dec. 12, 2024. In February, Judge Kerry Besinger approved a request to appoint Anterine Jackson as Berberian’s successor in interest, as well as Jackson’s substitution in the case as the plaintiff.

Jackson is the executor of the Berberian estate and the personal representative of the Berberian trust. On Monday, Jackson’s attorneys filed court papers with Bensinger notifying him of a “conditional” resolution of the case with the expectation a request for dismissal will be brought by Sept. 30.

No terms were revealed.

In their previous court papers, Disney attorneys denied Berberian’s allegations and cited multiple defenses, including violation of the statute of limitations and that any actions management took regarding Berberian were for “legitimate non-discriminatory and/or non-retaliatory reasons.”

According to his suit, Berberian was hired in October 1998 and enjoyed his work until 2014, when a new supervisor engaged in a physical altercation with him at the same time Berberian learned he had heart disease. Berberian tried at several management levels to get his complaint against the supervisor addressed, but received no cooperation and the boss’ alleged mistreatment of him continued, the suit further alleged.

At least twice in January and March 2020, the supervisor followed Berberian in an intimidating manner while he completed his mail runs, making Berberian feel as though the boss was targeting him due to his complaints about him, according to his suit, which further alleged that the boss falsely told employee relations that the plaintiff was the one threatening him.

Another supervisor made fun of Berberian because of the plaintiff’s Armenian heritage, saying Armenians who live in Glendale are hairy and speak with an accent, the suit further alleged.

Berber was furloughed in 2020-21 due to the coronavirus and terminated in September 2021 after management told him his position had been eliminated even though younger co-workers who did the same work did not lose their jobs, according to the suit.