A Pasadena Fogo de Chão Server Says She Was Pushed Out. Now the Case Goes to Court

A certificate was supposed to celebrate Griselda Corzo. According to her lawsuit, someone defaced it instead.

Corzo, a former server at Fogo de Chão’s Pasadena and Woodland Hills locations, has filed a civil lawsuit against the Brazilian steakhouse chain alleging that workplace harassment — including the defacement of a customer-review certificate, a co-worker who intentionally bumped into her, and a supervisor who asked her repeatedly to go on dates — forced her to take time off for emotional distress. No findings have been made in the case, and all allegations are Corzo’s claims. A case management conference, a procedural hearing at which the court and parties typically set the calendar for litigation, is scheduled for Tuesday, April 14 at 8:30 a.m. in Department 52 of the Los Angeles County Superior Court at 111 N. Hill St. in downtown Los Angeles.

According to the court calendar, Corzo alleges the harassment occurred at Fogo de Chão locations in Pasadena and Woodland Hills. The Pasadena restaurant — housed in a historic bank building at the corner of Colorado Boulevard and Marengo Avenue — is one of four Los Angeles-area locations operated by the company, which was founded in Southern Brazil in 1979 and built its brand on fire-roasted meats carved tableside.

The lawsuit describes a pattern of incidents. A co-worker, the complaint alleges, deliberately bumped into Corzo. A supervisor, she says, repeatedly asked her to go on dates. A certificate she had received in recognition of positive customer reviews was also defaced, according to the lawsuit.

California’s Fair Employment and Housing Act prohibits workplace harassment and holds employers strictly liable for harassment by supervisors. Under state law, employees must exhaust administrative remedies with the California Civil Rights Department before filing a civil lawsuit.

If You Go: Case management conference in Corzo v. Fogo De Chao, Tuesday, April 14, 2026, 8:30 a.m., Department 52, Stanley Mosk Courthouse, 111 N. Hill St., Los Angeles.

The certificate, the lawsuit says, was meant to recognize her work. It is now evidence.