PITTSBURGH - Allegheny County was accused in federal court of racial discrimination by a former Latin American employee.
Plaintiff Leandra Dimate Cortes filed the complaint on April 22 in the Western Pennsylvania U.S. District Court. Cortes worked for the defendant as a program manager since 2013.
The plaintiff alleges that the county paid her less than white employees in comparable positions with less qualifications.
Cortes says many of her supervisors demonstrated disparate treatment towards her because of her national origin. Specifically she accuses the other county employees of referring to her as "the Columbian," making negative comments about her accent,
The supervisors allegedly retaliated against Cortes when she tried to voice her concerns to human resources about the treatment, through more harassment and false performance accusations.
Cortes says she was eventually wrongfully terminated in retaliation of her discrimination concerns.
The defendant is charged with Civil Rights Act violations including retaliation and race/color/ethnicity/national origin discrimination.
Cortes is represented by the Law Offices of Dennis M. Moskal LLC of Pittsburgh.