Frank Parlato
This is part 2 of the remarkable case of Adriana Duarte Valentines. Part 1 Illegal Alien Wins $6.7 Million Judgment Against No-Kill Animal Sanctuary – Uses Fake Social Security Number
An Illegal Scores Big
Adriana Duarte Valentine, a 45-year-old undocumented immigrant, won a $6.7 million jury verdict in Los Angeles, California, against D.E.L.T.A. Rescue, an American no-kill animal sanctuary.
Duarte, originally from Mexico, crossed the U.S.-Mexico border unauthorized in 2002 and lived illegally in the United States for 22 years.
The defendant, D.E.L.T.A. Rescue, is the world’s largest “no-kill, care-for-life” animal sanctuary.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Kristin Escalante presided over the trial.
Duarte claimed the 45-year-old animal sanctuary had failed to accommodate her during her pregnancy, leaving her “embarrassed, ashamed, emotionally broken, and in financial desperation.”
DELTA paid Duarte $15 per hour as an independent contractor.
Jury Ups the Ante
A jury awarded her as follows:
$16,002 in lost wages.
$180,950 in economic damages.
$5.5 million in non-economic damages.
$1 million in punitive damages.
Two Sides to Story
Duarte’s lawyers wrote Duarte was “wrongfully terminated due to racist and sexist discrimination while hospitalized for childbirth.”
D.E.L.T.A.founder Leo Grillo intends to appeal the verdict unless the judge approves a motion for a new trial or overturns the verdict.
D.E.L.T.A.’s insurance company will cover up to $1 million of the $6.7 million in damages.
D.E.L.T.A. argued Duarte resigned without notice. The not-for-profit decided not to reinstate her after discovering she had stolen and concealed her pregnancy while working with cats, which posed a risk of toxoplasmosis.
D.E.L.T.A. Compassionate History
D.E.L.T.A. Rescue, which stands for Dedication and Everlasting Love to Animals, was founded in 1979 by actor-turned-activist Leo Grillo. Located on 115 acres near Los Angeles, the sanctuary provides lifelong care for up to 1,500 dogs, cats, and horses Grillo rescued from neglect, abuse, and abandonment. D.E.L.T.A. is the first no-kill sanctuary in America.
D.E.L.T.A. employs approximately 35 workers and has a strict policy prohibiting pregnant employees from working in the catteries.
Took on Duarte in a Position of Trust
D.E.L.T.A. employed Duarte as a cat caretaker in June 2017. She worked at the main sanctuary, which had access to truckloads of supplies. Duarte falsely claimed to be a US citizen and had worked as an agricultural laborer picking lettuce. She provided a fraudulent Social Security number.
While working at D.E.L.T.A., she began visiting horse caretaker Jorge Avalos, who lived onsite in a trailer. The nature of her visits did not become apparent until after her lawsuit. In her invoicing for hours worked, Duarte, whose sole duties required her to be at the main cat sanctuary, had billed many hours, including substantial overtime, when she was inside the trailer near the horses while Avalos was off-duty.
Pregnancy Not By Husband
In or around June 2019, Avalos and Duarte conceived a child. Duarte successfully concealed her adulterous relationship from her husband. As she approached the third trimester, Duarte abandoned her tight-fitting spandex garments and began wearing loose-flowing garments.
In addition to concealing her pregnancy from her husband, she had to hide it from DELTA since pregnant women cannot work around cats because of the risk of toxoplasmosis.
Grillo heard rumors she was pregnant and, concerned Duarte might put her unborn child at risk, asked coworker Maria Urias to find out.
Most infected with Toxoplasma experience no symptoms or only mild flu-like symptoms. However, toxoplasmosis can cause serious health problems for pregnant women. It can lead to miscarriage or congenital disabilities in the unborn child.
Urias, who knew Duarte both as a coworker and friend, asked Duarte if she was pregnant.
At the trial, Duarte testified she lied to Urias, saying she was not pregnant.
Rosabel Carrillo Martinez, another DELTA worker, testified that neither she nor anyone else at the ranch knew Duartes was pregnant. Martinez testified she recalled Duarte performing physically demanding tasks, including loading cases of cat food, bleach, and towels into her vehicle during the time she would have been pregnant.
Sudden Departure
Duarte quit DELTA without notice on January 31, 2020.
Later, she texted DELTA supervisor Stephen Spears, explaining that she was in the hospital with high blood pressure and severe headaches. Spears replaced Duarte with Rosabel Martinez.
According to Spears, who testified at trial, Martinez “ordered supplies for one week that were much less than what Adriana had been ordering for just one day.”
Spears questioned Martinez about her much smaller order. Martinez explained that her order only included supplies in the main sanctuary. She understood Duarte had ordered supplies for another cattery called Trail’s End, operated by DELTA offsite.
“I would see her load up her truck and leave the ranch,” she said.
Suspected
Spears reported this to Grillo, who became suspicious.
Grillo testified, “They said [Rosa] wasn’t doing her job because she wasn’t taking the food and supplies to Trails End. I said, what are you talking about? She doesn’t need to take anything to Trails End. That’s when I found out that Adriana had been filling her car—sometimes twice a day—with cat food, cleaning supplies, and other items.
“She stole cat food, dog food, janitorial supplies, and personal items.”
Admits to Pregnancy
On February 2, 2020, four days after she had left, Duarte emailed Grillo, admitting she was pregnant.
“Mr. Leo, excuse me for not doing things right, I am having my baby, I said nothing because I did not want to disturb him and I felt able to continue working, I feel very comfortable working… I just want to go back and keep working the same way, sir. I don’t want days off, I didn’t say anything in the hospital because there are many people who talk more and I didn’t want problems. And excuse me. I’m back as soon as I leave sir.”
Without confronting her with allegations of theft, Grillo informed Duarte that since she was pregnant, she could not return to work with cats. Two days later, Duarte wrote again, saying she had the baby.
On February 04, she wrote:
“sir I’m ready to start working, everything is fine with me my baby is already born and he will be in the care of someone else, I hope the opportunity to continue working for delta rescue.”
Grillo replied:
“Sorry Adriana, but we replaced you already. And there is something not right with your story. First you are fine, then you are having an emergency and you are in the hospital with high blood pressure, and then they are keeping you in the hospital because you are also pregnant, and then two days later you have had ‘the baby’ and you are ready to come back to work?… No you cannot work here ever again.”
Duarte wrote back:
“I don’t need good luck because I have it, but you’re surrounded by scorpions, I didn’t trust many of those who They surround you and do not tell your things that everyone knows… ball of ipocrites that you have with you.”
Lawsuit in the Making
Luck was with Duarte. She retained attorney Jacob Nalbandyan. She sued and won a $6.7 million jury award for wrongful termination.
During the legal process, more details emerged. Duarte gave birth to a female child and had a C-section delivery. This called into question her email of February 4, where she said she had the baby but was ready to return to work the day after childbirth. A C-section is a major surgical procedure, and recovery typically takes several weeks.
Financial Desperation Ensues, Duarte Cut Off From Stealing
In her lawsuit, Duarte claimed DELTA firing her caused her to be “embarrassed, ashamed, emotionally broken, and in financial desperation.” She had been paid minimum wage. The record shows she quickly obtained other minimum wage positions.
However, the value of what she stole from DELTA was more than her wages. DELTA calculated Duarte stole more than $300,000 in food and supplies over the two-and-a-half years she worked there.
Duarte’s embarrassment, which she claimed was caused by DELTA firing her, was exacerbated by her husband. Distressed by his wife’s pregnancy, Raul Lopez confronted her lover at a convenience store. Jorge Avalos fled in his truck. Lopez gave pursuit. Avalos made a narrow escape and avoided serious injury or death by hiding in the bushes at a distance from his trailer at the sanctuary.
Lopez’s behavior toward the man who shared his wife caused Avalos to leave the US for the comparative safety of Mexico. Duarte admitted to a social worker that she was depressed because she lost her lover.
How Did Duarte Succeed?
At this point, some might ask how Duarte got a $6.7 million award from a jury trial in the name of justice.
After all, the record shows:
Lies
- False Citizenship Claim: Duarte falsely claimed to be a US citizen to secure employment.
- Fake Social Security Number: She provided fraudulent documentation, violating federal law.
- Concealed Pregnancy: Duarte lied to coworkers and her employer about her pregnancy to avoid workplace restrictions.
- Fabricated Work Hours: Duarte allegedly billed for hours she did not work, including substantial overtime spent at Jorge Avalos’s trailer.
- False Statements About Her Readiness to Work: After giving birth via C-section, Duarte claimed to be immediately ready to return to manual labor, which raised doubts about her honesty.
- Misrepresentation During the Lawsuit: Duarte alleged emotional and financial hardship caused by her firing despite evidence suggesting she engaged in theft and earned supplementary income.
Illegal Activities
- Unlawful Entry into the US: Duarte entered the US without authorization in 2002, violating immigration laws.
- Identity Fraud: Providing a fake Social Security number is a federal crime.
- Theft: Duarte allegedly stole over $300,000 worth of supplies, including food and cleaning materials, during her employment at D.E.L.T.A.
- Fraudulent Invoicing: Billing for unworked hours constitutes fraud.
- Immigration Violations: Working as an undocumented immigrant under false pretenses is illegal under US labor laws.
Unethical Behavior
- Workplace Misconduct: Duarte visited Avalos’s trailer during work hours and maintained a romantic relationship that distracted her from her duties.
- Affair While Married: Duarte engaged in an extramarital affair, which led to significant personal and workplace conflict.
- Risked the Safety of Her Unborn Child: By continuing to work with cats despite the risk of toxoplasmosis, Duarte endangered her unborn baby’s health.
- Blamed Employer for Emotional Distress: Duarte alleged emotional harm caused by her firing, but her actions (theft, deception, affair) contributed to her problems.
- Despite her substantial misconduct, she used legal proceedings to shift blame onto her employer.
Ethical Reflection
Duarte’s actions painted a picture of someone exploiting opportunities at every turn. It took more than one crooked plaintiff. It took a willfully unethical lawyer, Jacob Nalbandyan, and a biased judge, Kristin Escalante. As we probe the case, we may uncover that it was more than bias but possible corruption.
To be continued.
Editor’s Note: FrankReport will undertake a major fundraising effort for D.E.L.T.A Rescue to help fight this grotesque miscarriage of justice, prevent the criminal Duarte from collecting any money and ensure the safety of the dogs, cats and horses from the vicious Duarte and her racketeering coconspirators. Frank Report will announce details soon.
Frank Parlato is an investigative journalist, media strategist, publisher, and legal consultant.
Please leave a comment: Your opinion is important to us!
Hopefully the judge will strike down the verdict to $1 or what’s in Scott Amway’s savings account 5cents….
Good thiNg Scott has his navy pension to fall back on – so he only has two part time jobs, LOL
Frank-
Who is Timothy Vale, a new johnson alias?
The
Thank God for Trump. This will end.
Another Democratic judge going off the rails– The overt lies, illegal conduct and unethical behavior of the “victim” in this case were wholly ignored by this judge who made certain to keep key evidence off the record. Her bias is evident–Her rulings and insult to taxpaying legal citizens. Stealing from the American taxpayer for scams of illegals.
One phone call could be enough to have Adriana Duarte Valentines arrested and deported. Do you have the right phone number, Mr. Parlato, or someone who knows someone who knows someone who is in the right position? Or will someone else have to do it?
Why did the judge act so unethical? How did she allow this circus to go on? Adrian crying every day? Seems like a real show they put on, hopefully justice is served, and the American hero and the animals prevail.
I have many times worked closely with Leo saving bees in various parts of the D.E.L.T.A. grounds. It is exceedingly rare in this life to meet a person of such integrity and generosity. This lawsuit is a sham which threatens the good that Mr. Grillo does and will continue to do for so many. There must be something seriously wrong with a judge who allows such a thing to thrive in a court of law, it is not just outrageous but downright surreal.
I agree!
Still got a problem with them goddamn immigrants now, Ginzo?!