A lawsuit brought against celebrated American chef Thomas Keller by a former employee accusing him of pregnancy discrimination is scheduled to begin in Napa on Monday.
Vanessa Scott-Allen claims that she was denied a job transfer from Keller's Per Se restaurant in New York to his three-star Michelin establishment The French Laundry in Yountville, because she was pregnant.
Scott-Allen seeks $5 million in damages, saying that she lost her job in violation of rules for taking a disability leave.
She hhopes the trial highlights a "culture of misogyny" in fine dining, Scott-Allen's attorney said to the Associated Press.