A former employee of app-based kids' school ride service Kango is suing the company, alleging she was wrongfully terminated in 2023 in retaliation for complaining about the qualifications of some of the drivers.

Mareine Pearlman's Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages. A Kango representative did not immediately reply to a request for comment on the complaint brought Monday.

Kango is designed specifically for families, providing transportation for children to and from school, after-school activities and other destinations.

Hired by Kango 2018, Pearlman was promoted multiple times and, at the time of her termination, was a regional driver and vendor operations lead. While employed, Pearlman complained to her supervisor, who was Kango's CEO, that some drivers were working without current driver's licenses, fingerprint checks or insurance, according to the suit.

The plaintiff also contended that some employees behind the wheels of Kango vehicles were not trained to assist special-needs children.

Pearlman repeated her complaints to her boss in August 2023, additionally saying that she believed Kango wanted the plaintiff and her co-workers to violate laws in order to save the company money, according to the suit, which further states that Pearlman was terminated the next month.

Pearlman has suffered lost income and benefits and experienced emotional distress since losing her job, the suit states.