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Employee eating at her desk leads to a discrimination lawsuit

On Behalf of | May 13, 2014 | Employment Disputes |

Discrimination can come in various forms and still plagues many victims even though it is illegal in the eyes of the law. Unfortunately, many Texas workers who suffer from workplace discrimination may not speak up for fear of losing their job or having their employers retaliate against them. Companies that find ways to treat other employees differently because of the color of their skin or other discriminating factor could possibly be faced with a lawsuit if an employee decides to voice their complaints.

A woman who worked for Northwest Diagnostic Clinic is filing a lawsuit against her former employer. She worked for the company as a healthcare coder. In her complaint, she claims that she was not treated kindly by another employee because of her race. The woman alleges that she attempted to approach her supervisor about the complaint, but she was disregarded.

After supposedly being denied by her boss, she made a second attempt to be heard by reporting the discrimination to the personnel department. She believes that the company retaliated against her for reporting the discrimination. She alleges that she was approached in June of 2013 with disciplinary action and that her employer stated that she was terminated for eating at her desk.

The plaintiff is filing a claim against the clinic in a Texas court for being exposed to a hostile work environment, workplace discrimination and retaliation. If the court rules in her favor, she will likely receive the damages she is seeking. Employees who feel that they have been retaliated against or treated unfairly due to discrimination may consider filing a claim against their employer. Should the claim be successfully navigated, the worker may receive lost wages and damages as well as potentially being reinstated in their former position.

Source: Southeast Texas Record, “Northwest Diagnostic Clinic sued by former employee alleging discrimination“, Whitney Brakken, May 8, 2014

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