Diane C. Smith v. G2 Secure Staff, LLC

I. BACKGROUND

On August 18, 2017, Plaintiff Diane Smith was traveling through Los Angeles International Airport (“LAX”). (Doc. 1 (“Compl.”) at 3.) Because Plaintiff was using a wheelchair, she sought assistance from Defendant G2, a company that contracts with American Airlines to provide ADA assistance to passengers. (Id.) Two G2 staff members ultimately assisted Plaintiff. (Id.) The first employee pushed Plaintiff’s wheelchair to a shuttle stop, where Plaintiff claims the employee planned to leave her unattended, rather than helping her to her intended destination. The second G2 staff member—later identified as Wilbert Beyard—then intervened, and resumed pushing Plaintiff’s wheelchair through LAX. (Compl. at 3; Def. Mot. at 4.) During this walk, Plaintiff alleges that Mr. Beyard “improperly handled the wheelchair” and “missed a curb,” causing Plaintiff to be thrown from the wheelchair and land on the concrete. (Compl. at 3–4.) Defendant G2 has since terminated Mr. Beyard’s employment, claiming that he was acting outside the scope of his employment in “direct violation of G2’s policies and procedures,” since he was not permitted to assist in transporting passengers.…