BOCA RATON, FL (BocaNewsNow.com) (Copyright © 2026 MetroDesk Media, LLC) — A former Joseph’s Classic Market employee says she was hired with the understanding that her English didn’t need to be perfect, then pushed out less than three weeks later because of it. Cesia Rivera, 34, filed suit Wednesday in Palm Beach County Circuit Court against Joseph’s Classic Market Realty, LLC, Boca Food Market, LLC, and owner Joseph Acierno, seeking more than $500,000.
Rivera, who is of Peruvian national origin, says she sat through four interviews, three in English and one in Spanish, and passed them all. According to the complaint, an owner identified as “Joe Junior” told her in Spanish that perfect English wasn’t required. She quit her previous job, gave two weeks’ notice and started on or about June 30, 2025, at a salary of $57,600 a year. Her duties included cooking, pricing products, packing items, prepping bread and helping customers.
Trouble started with a newly hired supervisor. The suit claims the supervisor questioned Rivera’s English from day one, told her she wasn’t fit for the job because of it, then told the store manager to fire her. The manager refused, telling Rivera she wasn’t being let go for performance and that he would speak with Human Resources. When she came back the next day, the manager was off, and his assistant offered her one option: a lower-paying kitchen job peeling and cutting vegetables. She said no. Her employment ended on or about July 17, 2025.
The lawsuit alleges national origin discrimination and retaliation under the Florida Civil Rights Act, claiming Rivera complained to Human Resources about how she was treated. It also accuses both companies and Acierno of violating the federal Fair Labor Standards Act, alleging she regularly worked 50 to 52 hours a week without overtime pay. Rivera wants a jury trial, back pay, damages and reinstatement. She is represented by Jason S. Remer of the Coral Gables firm Remer & Georges-Pierre & Hoogerwoerd. Joseph’s had not filed a response that had been processed by the Palm Beach County Clerk of Courts as of 6 a.m. Friday, October 9, 2026. Read the complete complaint here:
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