Content warning: This story contains details of an alleged sexual assault and grooming.
The father of a developmentally disabled Amazon warehouse employee who was allegedly abducted and sexually assaulted by a supervisor in Irving sued the company Wednesday, accusing Amazon of failing to protect his daughter from an employee who had a history of sexual harassment complaints.
Ashton Williams is 27, on the autism spectrum and described by her father as being at the developmental level of an 8-year-old. She was hired to work as part of the Texas Workforce Commission’s assisted employment program for working adults with disabilities in 2021.
In August 2023, Louis Williams dropped his daughter off for work at an Amazon distribution warehouse in Irving — as he did always did — and watched her enter the building, he said. According to the lawsuit, Mario Carranza — described in the suit as a supervisor — waited until her father left and took Ashton Williams to get tacos, then to a nearby motel, where he repeatedly sexually assaulted her.
Carranza allegedly kissed and fondled Ashton Williams, got her naked and showed her dirty videos but did not have sex. She told her parents what happened the same day, her father said.
“She just doesn't know how to say no,” Louis Williams said. “She can't fend for herself. I mean, it's just like a child, you know?”
Carranza allegedly began grooming Ashton Williams soon after she was hired, buying her snacks and befriending her. Louis Williams said he had personally thanked Carranza for looking after his daughter, and that Carranza told him he had a special needs nephew.
The father says he reported the incident to the Amazon's HR department the next day but was stonewalled. The suit alleges Amazon was negligent by failing to protect Ashton Williams from harm and failing to suspend Carranza in the days after Louis Williams formally reported him.
The suit also claims Amazon was uncooperative when Irving police arrived to arrest Carranza, leading an officer to threaten to “batter down the warehouse doors” before they allowed police to enter and arrest Carranza.
The family is seeking damages for pain and suffering, mental anguish, medical expenses, loss of earning capacity as well as exemplary damages, but Louis Williams said he doesn’t have a specific total in mind.
Carranza, 72, was arrested and indicted a month after the incident on sexual assault charges, a second degree felony.
In a statement, Amazon confirmed it hadn't received any legal filings regarding the incident and maintained that Carranza was an hourly employee, not a supervisor. The company said it helped police identify Carranza and arrest him outside of the facility.
A spokesperson also said Carranza hasn't worked for Amazon in more than a year.
“The allegations relating to this issue are serious and we’ve been in touch with the relevant authorities regarding them," said the spokesperson, Sam Stephenson.
As for Ashton Williams, her father said he and his wife will never let her work again, and that his youngest daughter still cries about what happened.
"We're just filling the gap that created with just day-to-day living stuff," Louis Williams said. "We'll just never be the same."
The lawsuit states Amazon was aware that other female workers had allegedly filed complaints against Carranza, but attorney Jennifer Spencer said her team won’t be able to find specific complaints until the discovery process begins.
“It's literally reprehensible corporate conduct,” Spencer said. “And we were happy — very, very happy — to help the Williams family stop Amazon from doing this, help Ashton with her future care needs and, you know, make sure that the Williams family gets some redress for the fact that they have been emotionally devastated through this.”
Got a tip? Email Toluwani Osibamowo at tosibamowo@kera.org. You can follow Toluwani on X @tosibamowo.
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