PHILADELPHIA - A former patrol officer for Reading says he was called gay and retarded because he suffers from Tourette's syndrome.
In a recent lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Sean Tohidi has accused the City of Reading Police Department of discrimination and harassment. The case was filed on Feb. 7.
Tohidi alleges that he was subjected to a hostile work environment due to his Tourette's syndrome, a condition that impacts the nervous system causing him to make involuntary movements and sounds. He claims that despite being capable of performing his job duties, he was constantly ridiculed and called derogatory names by his colleagues.
The complaint states Tohidi was hired as a Police Trainee by the City of Reading Police Department on January 10, 2022. However, from the beginning of his employment, he experienced discrimination and harassment by his colleagues who perceived him as disabled.
Despite raising these issues with his supervisor, Tohidi claims that no action was taken and the treatment worsened. He alleges that he was frequently called derogatory names related to his condition and sexual orientation by a field training officer, creating an intolerable work environment leading to his constructive discharge on December 8, 2022.
Tohidi says the officer's comments that Tohidi was "retarded and liked d---" created a "wildly hostile work environment."
As a result of this alleged mistreatment, Tohidi is seeking compensation for economic loss, future lost earning capacity, lost opportunity, loss of future wages and earnings as well as emotional distress and personal injury damages.
Brianna Lynn Pearson of Law Offices of Eric Shore represents the plaintiff.