Shannon Farazi v. Home Depot U.S.A., Inc.

District Court, W.D. Washington·Decided July 10, 2026·No. 2:26-cv-00586·Unknown

Opinion

HONORABLE RICHARD A. JONES

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT AT SEATTLE SHANNON FARAZI, Case No. 2:26-cv-00586-RAJ Plaintiff, ORDER ON DEFENDANT’S v. HOME DEPOT U.S.A., INC, Defendants.

I. INTRODUCTION THIS MATTER comes before the Court on the Motion to Dismiss (the “Motion,” Dkt. # 14) filed by Home Depot U.S.A., Inc. (“Home Depot” or the “Defendant”). Plaintiff Shannon Farazi did not file a formal response to the Motion, but filed several submissions substantively opposing to the Motion. See, e.g., Dkt. ## 39, 43–44. Plaintiff has also filed a number of separate non-meritorious motions and pleadings seeking various forms of relief from the Court, including but not limited to a pre-answer motion for summary judgment, a motion for sanctions, and a motion for an order to show cause. See Dkt. ## 4–5, 17, 19, 40, 52, 55–56. Defendant Home Depot filed a reply in support of the Motion (the “Reply,” Dkt. # 47). The Court has reviewed the Motion, the foregoing submissions in support of and opposition to the Motion, and the balance of the record. For the reasons set forth below,1 the Court GRANTS the Motion. Plaintiff’s claims arising under the MAHSA Act, UNCAT, R2P, and 18 U.S.C. §§ 241, 1512, & 1513 are dismissed WITH PREJUDICE. The remaining claims in the Complaint are dismissed WITHOUT PREJUDICE. II. BACKGROUND Plaintiff alleges that, between April 10, 2024 and to May 27, 2025, she was employed by Defendant Home Depot as a Merchandising Execution Team corporate associate. Dkt. # 1 ¶¶ 9, 13. Plaintiff identifies herself as “female” and “Persian/Iranian American.” Id. ¶¶ 13, 25(b). Plaintiff alleges that, while employed by the Defendant, she was “subjected to repeated unwelcome and unwanted impeding comments, propositions, and unwelcome restrictions.” Id. ¶ 16. She further alleges that female employees at Home Depot were “subjected . . . to discrimination on the basis of

1 While Plaintiff requests oral argument, the court concludes that oral argument is not necessary to decide the Motion. See Local Rules W.D. Wash. LCR 7(b)(4). discriminatory attributes, including unwelcome and severe or pervasive discriminatory harassment or ‘gate-keeping’ misconducts,” including the following: (a) making “unwelcome discriminatory comments and discriminatory advances”; (b) falsely writing up certain employees in a “targeted retaliatory” manner; (c) subjecting “female workers” to sudden “signage of silencing agreements” and offering “tangible benefits . . . in exchange for their silence acts”; (d) taking “adverse work safety actions” and forcing female workers “to do heavy physical work while injured”; and (e) failing to offer “proper training,” hiding important “work information crucial for ‘all’ employees,” and fostering a culture of “escalating fear and favor.” Id. ¶ 15. Plaintiff also alleges that, after experiencing a “life-threatening car accident” on or around February 5, 2025, her medical situation was “purposefully” overlooked by her manager and her accommodation was untimely and inadequately implemented. Id. ¶ 17. Plaintiff claims that two Home Depot managers whom she had “reported” retaliated against Plaintiff “knowingly, voluntarily, maliciously with intent” after finding her working alone on May 27, 2025. Id. ¶ 18. Plaintiff claims that she was “followed . . . around the store,” escalating the incident into a “criminal act.” Id. ¶ 19. Plaintiff alleges that she was ultimately “violently wrongfully terminated” on the same day of this incident, “while the U.S. government’s appropriate agencies were investigating.” Id. ¶ 13. On the basis of the foregoing, Plaintiff asserts the following causes of action against Home Depot: (1) unlawful discrimination under Title VII, Dkt. # 1 ¶ 25(a), (c)– (d); (2) unlawful retaliation under Title VII, id. ¶ 25(b); (3) a “pattern or practice of resistance to the full enjoyment of the rights granted by Title VII”, id. ¶ 26; (4) unlawful conduct under the Mahsa Amini Human Rights and Security Accountability Act of 2022 (the “MAHSA Act”), the United Nations Convention Against Torture (“UNCAT”), and Responsibility to Protect (“R2P”), id. ¶ 27; (5) criminal violations under 18 U.S.C. §§ 241, 1512, & 1513, id. ¶ 28; and (6) violations of Washington’s Silenced No More Act, id. ¶ 29. While not articulated as separate causes of action, the Complaint also references in its caption the Lanham Act and Washington’s anti-SLAPP statute, and the latter statute is discussed in the Complaint. Dkt. # 1 at 1; id. ¶ 18. III. LEGAL STANDARD To survive a motion to dismiss under Rule 12(b)(6), “a complaint must contain sufficient factual matter, accepted as true, to ‘state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face.’” Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678 (2009) (quoting Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 570 (2007)). “A claim has facial plausibility when the plaintiff pleads factual content that allows the court to draw the reasonable inference that the defendant is liable for the misconduct alleged.” Id. In analyzing a motion to dismiss, courts “accept all factual allegations in the complaint as true and construe the pleadings in the light most favorable to the nonmoving party.” Knievel v. ESPN, 393 F.3d 1068, 1072 (9th Cir. 2005). “Conclusory allegations and unreasonable inferences, however, are insufficient to defeat a motion to dismiss.” Sanders v. Brown, 504 F.3d 903, 910 (9th Cir. 2007). IV. DISCUSSION A. Title VII Discrimination Claims Plaintiff asserts that Home Depot discriminated against her in violation of Title VII, 42 U.S.C. § 2000e-2(a)(1)-(2). To assert a prima facie case of discrimination under Title VII, a plaintiff must allege that: (1) she belongs to a protected class; (2) she was qualified for her position or performing satisfactorily; (3) she suffered an adverse employment action; and (4) similarly situated individuals outside her protected class were treated more favorably. Reynaga v. Roseburg Forest Prods., 847 F.3d 678, 691 (9th Cir. 2017). Although the Complaint does not concisely identify whether Plaintiff’s Title VII discrimination claim is brought on the basis of her sex, national origin, or both, reading the Complaint in the light most favorable to Plaintiff, the Court considers both grounds in turn. i. Sex-based Discrimination Claim Before bringing claims under Title VII, plaintiffs must first exhaust their administrative remedies by filing a timely charge with the EEOC. Fort Bend Cnty., Texas v. Davis, 587 U.S. 541, 541 (2019). Allegations of discrimination not included in an EEOC charge “may not be considered by a federal court unless the new claims are like or reasonably related to the allegations contained in the EEOC charge.” B.K.B. v. Mui Police Dep’t, 276 F.3d 1

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Shannon Farazi v. Home Depot U.S.A., Inc., (W.D. Wash. 2026).

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