In 2012, plaintiff Meghan Frederick, a corrections officer in her 40s, began the process of gender reassignment and started to present to work as a female, after working some 10 years at the facility in which she presented as a male. Frederick claimed that shortly thereafter, her co-workers discriminated against her based on her gender identity and that when she complained about it, nothing was done. She also claimed that she complained about workplace safety violations, but that nothing was done about that either. Frederick sued her employer, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. She alleged that the CDCR’s actions or inaction constituted gender discrimination and retaliation, thereby creating a hostile work environment. Frederick claimed that her co-workers mocked and harassed her, and called her derogatory and offensive names after she started to present to work as a female. She also claimed that she complained about the gender-identity discrimination, but that the hostile work environment continued. She further claimed that after she complained about her treatment, co-workers would trap her in hallways for up to five minutes while she waited for guards to let her move through controlled gates inside the prison, a process that would normally take seconds, and that co-workers would fail to advise her about inmate threats on her life. Frederick complained about the workplace safety violations, but she claimed that nothing was done about it. The operator of the CDCR, the state of California, denied Frederick’s gender identity was the cause of the CDCR’s actions. It also denied that the CDCR imposed any adverse employment action against Frederick., Frederick claimed that every day she went to work after she began to present to work as a female was torture for her. Frederick further claimed that her isolation at work caused her physical and mental distress. She sought recovery of damages related to emotional distress.