Los Angeles, CA – In a significant legal victory, grocery chain Ralphs, a subsidiary of Kroger Co., has prevailed in a $7 million employment discrimination lawsuit brought by a former employee. A California jury found on Monday that the company was not liable for religious or national-origin discrimination claims made by Mohammed Saifudeen, a former dairy department manager.
The case, Saifudeen v. Ralphs Grocery Co., was heard in the Superior Court of California, Los Angeles (Case No. BC719286). The jury determined that Ralphs’ employment decisions were not substantially motivated by Saifudeen’s religious beliefs or his Sri Lankan national origin.
Saifudeen, who began working for Ralphs in 1991, claimed he was terminated in 2016 due to his request to keep Saturdays free for religious activities, during which he volunteered at his children’s madrasa. However, jurors found that the company reasonably accommodated his religious practices and that any disciplinary action taken was unrelated to his protected characteristics.
Key testimony revealed that Saifudeen repeatedly refused to use the company’s E-Skej scheduling system—standard for all employees—to formally request Saturdays off. Despite that, records showed he was granted Saturdays off more than 90% of the time in most years. Ralphs’ legal team emphasized that his termination was instead due to repeated instances of insubordination, including refusal to follow direct instructions and failure to properly manage department operations.
“Ralphs maintains a firm commitment to tolerance and inclusion across all of its stores,” said Daniel Kessler, defense attorney at Burkhalter Kessler Clement & George LLP. “This verdict affirms that the company acted fairly, reasonably, and within the bounds of the law.”
Kessler also underscored that Saifudeen had received multiple written warnings and opportunities to return to work under the collective bargaining agreement, which he declined. The jury was shown video depositions where Saifudeen confirmed that none of his managers made disparaging remarks about his religion or background.
The plaintiff was represented by Bryan Kirsh of Shegerian & Associates, who argued that Ralphs failed to respect Saifudeen’s religious commitments. However, the jury ultimately disagreed.
This decision marks a clear win for the grocery chain as it continues operations in over 220 stores throughout California.
