In a recent case, the court ruled that the plaintiff had been correctly fired for cause. Then why did it let her discrimination claim move forward?
A non-white employee claimed she was harassed and then fired because of her race. She sued for bias.
The company argued she’d been fired legitimately for submitting falsified reports. The judge agreed the firing was fair, because the employee couldn’t show any evidence that white employees had done the same thing without being fired.
That part of the suit was thrown out. Things didn’t end there, though.
The woman also filed a hostile work environment claim, on the grounds that her manager made constant racially derogatory remarks. Allegedly, the conduct was severe enough that her work suffered and she wanted to transfer to a different department.
Regarding the hostile environment claim, the judge saw enough evidence against the employer to let the case move forward. Now the company faces a costly trial or an expensive settlement.
Cite: Shockley v. Healthsouth Central Georgia Rehabilitation Hosp.
