North Texas dad alleges disabled daughter was sexually assaulted by Amazon coworker
A North Texas father is suing Amazon for negligence over allegations that his developmentally disabled daughter was abducted and sexually assaulted by her coworker at the online retailer’s warehouse in Irving, court documents state.
The father filed a lawsuit on behalf of his daughter in Dallas County on Wednesday, Dec. 11. Mario Carranza, who faces a sexual assault charge, is also named as a defendant.
The family’s attorney, Jennifer Spencer, said her client’s life has been altered forever by the assault.
“She loved going to work, which allowed her to feel accomplished and participate fully in society as a fully functioning individual,” Spencer said in a news release. “Because of this disgusting display of human indecency and corporate apathy, she may never work again.”
The woman was hired by Amazon in February 2021 as part of a program for adults with disabilities. Even though she is above the age of 18, her intellectual capacity is that of “a young child,” the lawsuit states.
The father always drove his daughter to and from her job at the Amazon warehouse, which is located at 3500 S. Airfield Drive in Irving. Then he watched to make sure she got inside OK.
On Aug. 25, 2023, Carranza allegedly met her inside the warehouse before she’d had a chance to clock in and told her they were going to be working off-site that day. According to the lawsuit, the young woman’s workstations and supervisors varied from day to day.
“(She) had no reason to believe that anything was amiss with Carranza’s direction, and he was easily able to convince (her) that he had absolute authority over her in the workplace,” the lawsuit states.
But instead of taking her to work, Carranza allegedly had the young woman get into his personal vehicle. Then he bought her tacos at El Pollo Loco restaurant and took her to a nearby Motel 6, according to the lawsuit.
“Inside the Motel 6 room, Carranza sexually violated (the young woman) in every way possible” except for sexual intercourse, the lawsuit states.
According to the lawsuit, Amazon never notified the father that his daughter failed to report to work that day. When he arrived to pick her up, he realized something was different because she came through the parking lot instead of exiting from the warehouse.
The woman told her father about the alleged abduction and assault, and he reported the incident to the Irving police. An officer escorted him to the warehouse to make a formal report to Amazon officials, but “Amazon’s staff seemed disinterested, even upon learning that Carranza, a supervisor, abducted and sexually assaulted one of their intellectually disabled employees,” the lawsuit states.
An Amazon Human Resource representative also didn’t assure the father that his daughter wouldn’t come in contact with Carranza while at work, according to the suit.
The father later learned that several women had complained of sexual harassment by Carranza “and that Amazon failed to take any effective corrective action to stop Carranza’s behavior,” the lawsuit states.
When Irving police showed up to arrest Carranza on a sexual assault charge nearly a month later, Amazon officials refused to cooperate until an officer threatened to break down the warehouse doors to gain entrance, according to the lawsuit.
Among other things, the father is suing Amazon for negligence because the alleged abduction and assault occurred during the course and scope of Carranza’s employment with the company. The company knew Carranza had been accused of sexual misconduct by other female employees, but allowed him to work in a position when he would be “in close contact with potential and unsuspecting victims,” the lawsuit states.
The father is asking that damages for physical and emotional pain and suffering, future medical expenses, past and future mental anguish and past and future loss of earning capacity be awarded to his daughter. The lawsuit does not specify a dollar amount of damages.
“The allegations relating to this issue are serious and we’ve been in touch with the relevant authorities regarding them,” Amazon spokesperson Sam Stephenson said in a statement. “Mr. Carranza hasn’t worked for Amazon for more than a year.”
Carranza was considered an hourly employee, not a supervisor, according to the company. When Irving police arrived to arrest him, Amazon officials helped identify and apprehend him outside the facility, the statement reads. The company said it hasn’t received any legal filings regarding the alleged incident.
