SCRANTON – A Womelsdorf trucker claims she was fired because of her gender after a minor accident.
Sheree Breen filed a lawsuit against Centerline Drivers LLC on Nov. 6 in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania citing a violation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Breen was hired as a truck driver for Centerline in Feb. 8, 2012, and she claims she was involved in a minor crash on Oct. 23, 2014. Her truck, she claims, was blown off course by a strong wind and sustained minor damage to the front bumper.
She went through a drug test, according to the lawsuit, and resumed her normal work schedule on Oct. 27, 2014. During a Oct. 27 conference call with management, Breen claims that she was told that she "showed poor judgment" because she operated the truck in high winds.
She was told by management that she would still be employed, but would relegated to “not too physical” work, according to the lawsuit. She was later terminated – despite knowing that two male drivers who worked in the company’s Myerstown location who were in major accidents and not fired, the lawsuit states.
Breen seeks damages for lost pay and benefits, compensatory damages for pain and suffering, attorney's fees and court costs. She is represented by Philadelphia-based attorney Samuel A. Dion of Dion and Goldberger.
U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania case number 1:15-cv-02127-CCC