Is it possible that anything that is said can be held against someone, even to go as far as to have him or her fired? A woman who was employed by the medical board of examiners in a state outside of California believes it is true, even if the statements were never made. She claims that she faced retaliation after reporting to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and has filed her case in a federal court against the board, the executive director and other defendants.
The plaintiff — who happens to be black — was employed by the board for 14 years before she was terminated. In 2014, the woman was allegedly approached by a complete stranger while she was at lunch. The man apparently asked what she thought about one of her co-workers. The remarks that the plaintiff supposedly made were presented in a statement to the co-worker. The 51-year-old woman says that she never made the remarks that were in the statement.
After the plaintiff returned from lunch, she was allegedly approached by the executive director and placed on suspension. Before she was able to return to work, she was fired. She believes that the reason she was fired was because she would not sign a statement against another employee and for filing a complaint about the board with the EEOC.
The plaintiff’s case accuses the defendants of retaliation as well as race and age discrimination. She is seeking monetary damages and to have a jury trial. California employees who believe that they have lost their jobs based on any legally protected status may choose to file a complaint against their employers in an attempt to be reinstated or otherwise seek financial relief based upon evidence of discrimination.
Source: louisianarecord.com, “Ex-payroll clerk accuses Board of Medical Examiners of retaliatory firing“, Robert Hadley, Dec. 4, 2015