A Norristown employee is suing a Pennsylvania business, alleging disability discrimination, a hostile work environment, failure to accommodate and retaliatory action in a 2014 work matter.
Cassandra Ballard-Carter sued Vanguard Group Inc. of Malvern in the U.S. District Court Eastern District of Pennsylvania on Sept. 29, claiming that employment discrimination beginning in February 2014 had an adverse effect on her job performance, was performed illegally in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act, and escalated to retaliatory behavior.
According to the complaint, Ballard-Carter, a 44-year-old African-American female, has dyslexia and partial deafness. The suit states that she was employed by the defendant beginning in June 1996, earning promotions and increased responsibility for good work performance.
The plaintiff maintains that starting on or about Feb. 26, 2013, she was subjected to differential treatment by a manager, including discriminatory and demeaning statements, denial of vacation time and training opportunities, and comments related to her disabilities. She asserts that following her subsequent complaints to human resources and documented follow-ups with other staffers to address the issue, the co-worker’s hostility only increased. The complaint states the behavior forced her to leave her job due to medical conditions on April 14, 2014, and she has not yet returned.
Charging disability discrimination with failure to accommodate, failure to engage in an interactive process to resolve the dispute, and retaliation, Ballard-Carter alleges emotional pain and suffering and monetary losses.
The plaintiff seeks injunctive action to correct her employer’s responses and clear her employment record, along with compensatory, punitive and liquidated damages, pre- and post-judgment interest, attorney’s fees, and court costs. The plaintiff is represented by David Koller of Koller Law in Philadelphia.
U.S. District Court Eastern District of Pennsylvania case number 2:15-cv-05370-GJP