Workers’ Advocate Law Group P.C. and the Council on American-Islamic Relations Sacramento Valley/Central California (CAIR-SV/CC) today jointly announced a civil rights lawsuit against Kaiser Foundation Hospitals on behalf of Mona Joy Kafati, a Christian Palestinian-American registered nurse, mother of three children, and nine-year Kaiser employee who was physically assaulted at work after enduring anti-Palestinian harassment.
READ THE LAWSUIT
[MEDIA ADVISORY: CAIR-SV/CC will hold a virtual press conference on Thursday, February 5, 2026. LINK.]
The complaint, filed in Alameda County Superior Court, alleges that Kaiser failed to protect Kafati from a coworker who made the statement “I hate Arabs and Muslims since September 11” in the presence of witnesses. The same coworker made false accusations to Kaiser management that Kafati’s Palestinian flag was “linked to terrorism” and that she “poses a threat.” Despite these reports, Kaiser took no corrective action. Months later, the coworker physically assaulted Kafati. A witness confirmed the assault was intentional.
After Kafati immediately reported the assault, Kaiser took nearly ten months to investigate—and then closed the case as “unsubstantiated” without interviewing the assault witness.
The same day Kaiser denied Kafati’s appeal, Kaiser opened a retaliatory investigation against her.
“I reported the assault immediately. I followed every policy. I waited for Kaiser to protect me,” said Mona Joy Kafati. “Instead, they spent ten months protecting the person who hurt me. I had to leave my Emergency Room position because Kaiser refused to separate me from my assailant. I am a mother of three children who depends on my Kaiser health insurance—I cannot quit. But I should not have to work alongside someone who physically attacked me.”
“Kaiser paid $11.5 million in Stewart v. Kaiser in 2021 to fix its discrimination problem. Three years later, under court supervision, Kaiser allowed an employee to say, ‘I hate Arabs and Muslims since September 11,’ physically assault a Palestinian Christian nurse, and then retaliated against her for complaining,” said Samy Harmoush, Founding Attorney at Workers’ Advocate Law Group, PC. “This isn’t a failure of training. It’s a choice.”
“The responsibility for what happened to Ms. Kafati extends well beyond the coworker who was left unchecked. It rests at the feet of Kaiser as a whole. Kaiser was under a court order during these incidents because they had already discriminated based on race against their own employees. This is not Kaiser’s first offense, but it must be their last. People of all races and national origins deserve fair and equal treatment.”
“When an employer fails to protect an employee from workplace harassment and violence rooted in discrimination, and then retaliates against that employee for reporting it, they violate both state and federal civil rights protections,” said Layli Shirani, Civil Rights Managing Attorney at CAIR-CA, Sacramento Valley. “Kaiser had multiple opportunities to intervene. Instead, they conducted a months-long investigation that never interviewed the assault witness, then opened a retaliatory investigation against Mona the same day they denied her appeal. That’s institutional discrimination.”
The lawsuit alleges violations including discrimination based on national origin and perceived religion, harassment, retaliation, assault, battery, and negligent supervision.
ABOUT WORKERS’ ADVOCATE LAW GROUP, P.C.
Workers’ Advocate Law Group, PC was built on a simple premise: every worker deserves a fighter in their corner—regardless of title, income, or background. Led by trial attorney Samy Harmoush, licensed in California, New York, and Washington, D.C., the firm represents employees—never their employers—in discrimination, retaliation, and whistleblower cases against the nation’s largest employers. The firm’s clients have included internationally renowned attorneys, AI engineers, dentists, and kitchen cooks—demonstrating that elite legal representation should be accessible to all communities, not just the privileged few. The firm maintains offices in California and New York. For more information, visit www.workersadvocate.law.
ABOUT CAIR-SACRAMENTO VALLEY/CENTRAL CALIFORNIA:
The CAIR Sacramento Valley/Central California office is part of America’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance understanding of Islam, protect civil rights, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los Musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.
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CONTACT: CAIR Sacramento Valley/Central California Communications Director Zaid Hisham, (916) 441-6269 or zhisham@cair.com; Layli Shirani, Managing Attorney for Civil Rights, Lshirani@cair.com