Discrimination Lawsuit
Discrimination Lawsuit
A former gay employee of Harris County Hospital District has won a discrimination lawsuit in Judicial District Court of Harris County, Texas. In a 10-2 verdict, the jury has awarded $102,000 in back wages to R. Michael Lee, who was terminated after he complained of sexual harassment at the workplace. The complainant asserts that he has been unable to find a job since his termination.
The lawsuit claims that the plaintiff suffered from sexual discrimination at the hands of his colleagues at the workplace. The plaintiff alleges that his employer retaliated against him when he complained of discrimination against his colleagues and terminated him two weeks later. While awarding the case to the plaintiff, the Harris County jury found that the defendant retaliated against the plaintiff as a result of his complaint.
The plaintiff complains that while working as a senior project manager, he felt “personally attacked” when his seniors made a homophobic remark targeting him. The complainant alleges that when he made a formal complaint to his supervisors, the latter did not take any action. The lawsuit asserts that the supervisor, who was one of the persons accused of the incident, did not report the same to the hospital district. The plaintiff complains that, by doing so, the manager did not abide by the personnel policies of the hospital district and also discriminated against him.