PHILADELPHIA – An executive assistant for a pharmaceutical company in Philadelphia who claimed he was unlawfully terminated after meeting with its human resources department to report discriminatory employment practices settled his case against his former employer.
On Feb. 5, counsel for plaintiff Osee Edwards filed a praecipe with the court asking that his case be marked settled, discontinued and ended. Terms of the settlement were not disclosed.
Edwards, of Philadelphia, first filed suit in the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas on April 30, 2018 versus IROKO Pharmaceuticals, LLC, also of Philadelphia.
Edwards, an African-American, was offered an executive assistant role by the IROKO pharmaceutical company on Aug. 1, 2013, at a starting salary of $68,000, plus stipulated annual bonuses at a 20 percent target. The suit states Edwards began in his role on Aug. 19 of that same year and received positive reviews and performance evaluations, and was consistently rated as an “exceptional employee.”
When speaking with IROKO’s Human Resources Director Frances Rhoades on Sept. 27, 2017, Rhoades told Edwards upon departure of the company’s General Counsel, he would continue to assist other employees in the legal department in an administrative capacity, the suit says.
The following day, Rhoades and Edwards met again, this time for the plaintiff to discuss allegedly discriminatory employment practices at IROKO: Including hiring and promoting personnel to senior-level positions without following proper protocols, most notably with Caucasian employees, while not applying those same standards to employees of other races, the suit says.
Just one week later, on Oct. 5 of last year, Edwards was terminated and told his last day would be Oct. 16, 2017, which he said is in violation of his employment contract, which mandates two-week prior notice of termination and severance pay, the suit says.
Prior to settlement and for counts of breach of employment contract and violation of the Pennsylvania Wage Payment and Collection Law, the plaintiff was seeking unpaid wages and full compensation for unused benefits, 100 percent of the 2017 annual bonus at the 20 percent target agreed-upon, liquidated damages of 25 percent of the total owed to plaintiff under the WCPL, costs and fees, including reasonable attorney’s fees and such other and further relief, legal or equitable, as the Court deems appropriate in this matter.
The plaintiff was represented by Glenn A. Brown of Real World Law, in Upper Darby.
The defendant was represented by Alan D. Berkowitz of Dechert, in Philadelphia.
Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas case 180404674
From the Pennsylvania Record: Reach Courts Reporter Nicholas Malfitano at nick.malfitano@therecordinc.com