A recent court filing has brought to light serious allegations against a manufacturing company, raising concerns about workplace safety and discrimination. The complaint was filed by Anna Baranau and George DeLaFuente in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois on November 18, 2025, targeting Algus Packaging, LLC. The plaintiffs accuse the company of retaliatory discharge after they reported sexual harassment and safety violations.
Anna Baranau and George DeLaFuente, former employees of Algus Packaging, claim they were terminated for opposing and attempting to address widespread sexual harassment and safety issues at the company’s facilities in DeKalb, Illinois. According to the complaint, Baranau was hired as a Human Resources Manager through a staffing agency in November 2024. She discovered that Julio Dominguez, a supervisor at Plant One, engaged in favoritism towards female employees who acquiesced to his advances while retaliating against those who complained. Despite reporting these issues to CFO John Mathis and requesting training records related to sexual harassment policies, her concerns were sidelined by management.
In January 2025, further reports of sexual harassment emerged from female Hispanic employees of Mexican national origin. Baranau documented these complaints but faced restrictions from visiting Plant One as retaliation for her efforts to investigate the claims. On January 4, 2025, she was informed by her recruiter that her assignment with Algus Packaging had been terminated without any prior disciplinary issues or performance concerns.
George DeLaFuente joined Algus Packaging as HR Director in January 2025 and soon became aware of similar issues. He collected statements from female employees alleging sexual misconduct by Dominguez and reported these to management. Additionally, he observed serious OSHA violations at Plant One involving untrained employees operating machinery unsafely. Despite raising these concerns with Vice President Leslie Parker and CEO Roderick MacNeille, corrective actions were not taken.
The plaintiffs are seeking judgments against Algus Packaging for compensatory damages covering emotional distress and lost income due to their wrongful termination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and other state laws like the Illinois Human Rights Act (IHRA) and Illinois Whistleblower Act (IWA). They also demand punitive damages for willful violations of federal law along with attorney’s fees.
Representing Anna Baranau is an unnamed attorney listed in the case file; similarly unnamed legal counsel represents George DeLaFuente. The case is being presided over by Judge [Name], under Case ID: 1:25-cv-14129.
Source: 125cv14129_Anna_Baranau_v_Algus_Packaging_Complaint_Northern_District_of_Illinois.pdf
