Just outside of Los Angeles in Ranchos Palos Verdes, the Terranea Resort boasts fine dining, a golf course, scenic beachfront views, and accommodations ranging from luxury guest rooms to private, secluded villas. While it may be a paradise for guests, resort workers claim they are subjected to a culture that has enabled sexual harassment and sexual assault.
The Terranea Resort, which has hosted conferences attended by luminaries including Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg, first came under scrutiny for harboring sexual harassers in summer 2017, when a former dishwasher and chef assistant, Sandra Pezqueda, filed a sexual harassment and assault lawsuit against the resort and the staffing agency that employed her to work there.