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Jovenes De Antano’s former executive director Danny Barrera withdrew his lawsuit against the Hollister nonprofit after reaching a settlement regarding his claim of wrongful termination.
The court documents do not include the terms of the settlement. Jovenes De Antano board president Tami Cook-Erickson said she could not provide the terms but the nonprofit opted to settle rather than go to trial because of costs.
“It would cost us about $220,000 to go to trial and we don’t have the money,” she said. “The cost of the trial was prohibitive so we had to settle. It’s the case for all the people dealing with this within the state of California.”
Barrera’s attorney Joshua White did not respond to multiple calls for comment.
According to court documents, the notice of settlement was filed with San Benito County Superior Court on Feb. 5 and the request for dismissal on Feb. 13. The dismissal, a condition of the settlement, was entered with prejudice, meaning Barrera cannot sue under the same allegations.
In his lawsuit, filed in October 2025, Barrera alleged the nonprofit violated several labor laws including discrimination and breach of contract. He requested an unspecified amount in damages, unpaid wages and civil penalties.
Cook-Erickson denied the allegations and said Barrera, along with 14 other employees were laid off in June 2025 after the organization lost two key contracts to provide senior services including meals and transportation after decades of doing so.
Barrera joined Jovenes De Antano in December 2023, filling the vacancy left by co-founder Pauline Valdivia following her death in September 2022. She had headed the organization since 1975.
Former Jovenes Associate Director Connie Padron previously told BenitoLink the nonprofit had interviewed more than 20 applicants before selecting Barrera.
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