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Woman alleges a wrongful discharge after enduring discrimination

On Behalf of | May 11, 2015 | Employment Disputes |

Being a part of the workforce means that employees will be surrounded by different types of people. However, differences do not give anyone the right to pass judgment and make his or her co-workers uncomfortable. When such a situation arises, the victim has the right to report the situation. Instead of handling the situation, some companies in Texas and elsewhere may choose to give a wrongful discharge to the person complaining.

A woman who worked as a housekeeper at a mall in another state claims she was fired after complaining about inappropriate remarks being made toward her because of her disability. The plaintiff alleges she has dyslexia, and, because of her condition, one of her co-workers would refer to her using derogatory words and treat her disrespectfully. As per company policy, she reported the incidents in a timely manner, but she said nothing was done to stop the behavior.

The situation continued and her co-worker reportedly even took some of her possessions and materials she needed for work and hid them from her. She alleges that she continued to report the incidents, but she claims that, again, no action was taken. While at lunch with her co-workers, she claims that another employee began to make inappropriate comments about her relationship. This prompted the plaintiff to defend herself and used the word “slut” in her response. Customers overheard the comment and reported her.

Prior to this complaint, the plaintiff alleges that she never had this type of disciplinary action on her record. She claims the company did not investigate the situation and terminated her. The plaintiff filed a claim for her wrongful discharge because she believes her firing was an act of retaliation related to reporting the discriminatory behavior. Texas workers who believe they have lost their jobs unlawfully can turn to the legal system to find justice for their situations, including possibly being reinstated into their former positions.

Source: wvrecord.com, “Woman accuses Huntington Mall of wrongful termination“, Kyla Asbury, May 1, 2015

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