PHILADELPHIA — A former Philadelphia Medical Examiner's Office employee claims she faced retaliation for filing a workers' compensation claim.
Tamyra Foreman filed a complaint April 7 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania against The City of Philadelphia Medical Examiner's Office alleging violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and other claims.
According to her complaint, Foreman began working for the Philadelphia Medical Examiner's Office as a forensic technician on Nov. 2, 2020. She alleges that several days later, she injured her neck and shoulder while lifting a deceased body and filed a workers' compensation claim.
Foreman claims after receiving her notice of her disabilities and claim, the defendant suddenly stopped her training. She further claims that while undergoing physical therapy and medical care for her injuries, the medical examiner's office refused to comply with her physician-ordered requests for reasonable accommodation such as not being able to lift anything over 10 pounds.
Foreman alleges she was required to push or pull decedents' bodies and was told by a supervisor "we have no light duty here." She also alleges she faced hostility from staff and after voicing her complaint in January of 2021, she was terminated for alleged "clerical errors." Foreman claims her termination was retaliation for her worker's compensation and disability accommodation request.
Foreman seeks monetary relief of at least $150,000, interest and all other just relief. She is represented by Andrew Schreiber and Michael Murphy of The Murphy Law Group LLC in Philadelphia.
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania case number 2:22-CV-01365