Alejandro Mendoza V. Foot Locker Retail, Inc.

Case Background

On September 21, 2021, Alejandro Mendoza filed an age discrimination lawsuit against Foot Locker Retail, Inc., a subsidiary of Foot Locker, Inc. The lawsuit alleged wrongful termination and retaliation under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act. The case was filed in the United States District Court, Texas Western (San Antonio). Judge Xavier Rodriguez presided over the trial. [Case number: 5:21cv903]

Cause

Alejandro Mendoza, 61, began working at Foot Locker Retail, Inc. in 1983 as an Assistant Store Manager. Over the years, he earned steady promotions, culminating in his role as District Sales Manager in 2004. In this position, Mendoza oversaw 17 stores generating $38 million annually. Between 2003 and 2017, he consistently received positive evaluations and was never placed on a performance improvement plan. However, in 2018, Regional Vice President Christina Deanda-Sarrat rated Mendoza as "Needs Attention," despite high scores in key categories like sales and shrink. Her comments emphasized the company’s “Youth Culture,” suggesting a shift in priorities. This marked the first overt indication of potential age-based discrimination. In March 2019, during a regional seminar, Deanda-Sarrat humiliated Mendoza publicly and implied younger employees were better suited for leadership roles. Mendoza documented this incident and reported it to Human Resources in May. The situation wors