A former security officer filed suit against her former employer, the Chester County Hospital, in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania on Monday. The plaintiff alleges in the complaint that the hospital both engaged in and employed individuals who engaged in discriminatory and retaliatory treatment towards her.
The plaintiff is an African-American female who the defendant hired in November 2019 as a part-time Security Officer, according to the complaint. She maintains that she was “well qualified for her position and performed well.” When the COVID-19 pandemic began in early 2020, her supervisor offered extra hours to her department. When Johnson volunteered to work the extra hours, her offer was purportedly ignored, and instead the hours were given to her Caucasian male counterparts.
In June 2020, the complaint said, the plaintiff was issued three disciplines for what she dsecribed as minor issues. Her supervisor informed her that despite the disciplines, he was not inclined to terminate her because the hospital needed minority workers to fulfill diversity expectations. Following the meeting, she informed her supervisors that she was upset regarding the discriminatory comments and needed to leave early. The plaintiff informed the human resources department about the discriminatory comments and asked for a change in schedule, but they did not respond.
10 days after the plaintiff had to miss one day of work due to her daughter being ill, her supervisor texted her and requested that she return her uniform. She replied, questioning her supervisor about the status of her employment with the defendant. Despite numerous texts to her supervisors and the human resources department, she did not hear back.
In August, she heard back from a human resources representative who said they had mailed her a termination letter the day after she requested a shift change due to the discriminatory comments from her supervisor. The plaintiff believes these actions constitute racial discrimination and retaliatory action for reporting the aforementioned discrimination.
The complaint cites counts of race discrimination and retaliation. The plaintiff is seeking compensatory, punitive, and liquidated damages, relief for emotional pain and suffering, litigations costs, an injunction preventing the defendant from engaging in further discrimination and an injunction ordering employees of the defendant to participate in programs that promote equal employment opportunities.
The plaintiff is represented by Koller Law.
