LOS ANGELES (CN) - Jennifer Lopez's first ex-husband claims in court he was illegally fired from a Los Angeles gastropub after complaining about work conditions and co-workers' alcohol and drug use.
Ojani Noa sued Plata Entertainment and the pub, State Social House, on Oct. 16 in Superior Court, alleging retaliation and wrongful termination.
Gastropub is a portmanteau word invented in England in the 1990s to describe a pub that sells more than typical bar food, in addition to drinks.
Plata employed Noa as a manager from mid-August to December 2013, he says in the lawsuit.
During the few months he worked at the gastropub, Noa says, he witnessed the chef and general manager getting drunk, using cocaine and giving away free drinks to friends.
When he complained to the State Social House owner about the drug and alcohol use and lack of meal and rest breaks, Noa says, he was fired.
Noa was waiting tables when he married Lopez in early 1997. The union lasted less than a year. Later, Lopez took Noa to court after he planned to publish a book about their marriage.
In 2007, a court-appointed arbitrator issued an injunction that prevented Noa from publishing the manuscript and awarded Lopez $545,000 in damages.
Noa is represented by Nicholas Orihuela with Hurwitz Orihuela & Hayes.
State Social House did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.
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