In a recent court filing, Loula Ahmed has lodged a civil complaint against Cargill, Inc., alleging illegal discrimination based on race, religion, and national origin. The complaint was filed in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania on May 22, 2024.
According to the documents submitted by Ahmed's attorneys from Weisberg Cummings, P.C., the plaintiff claims that she faced wrongful termination and retaliation due to her African American race, Djiboutian national origin, and Islamic faith. The complaint outlines several incidents that led to Ahmed's termination from her position at Cargill's Camp Hill facility in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania.
Ahmed began her employment with Vantage Foods in 2016 as a Line Worker and was later promoted to Knife Worker before Vantage Foods was acquired by Cargill in 2020. She alleges that after Cargill took over operations, the work environment became hostile towards her religious practices. Despite initially being allowed to pray during breaks, Ahmed states that this changed when Marco Perez became her supervisor. In one instance detailed in the complaint, Perez allegedly accosted Ahmed for using the restroom to pray and threatened her employment status.
The plaintiff also recounts an incident where she sought religious accommodation through Human Resources but received no response despite multiple attempts. According to Ahmed, when she finally submitted another request form directly to Perez in June 2023, he threw it into the trash bin while she watched.
Ahmed’s complaints include allegations of discriminatory treatment following a workplace injury in September 2021. She asserts that her requests for medical assistance were denied by Perez and that subsequent efforts to transfer away from his supervision were ignored.
The legal filing details how these actions culminated on June 14, 2023, when Ahmed was terminated under what she believes were retaliatory motives linked to her repeated requests for religious accommodations and complaints about discriminatory treatment.
In seeking redress from the court, Ahmed is asking for declaratory relief against ongoing discrimination and retaliation practices at Cargill. She seeks compensation for lost wages and benefits due to wrongful termination along with damages for pain and suffering caused by the alleged discriminatory acts. Additionally, she is requesting punitive damages under Section 1981 of the Civil Rights Act of 1866 and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Representing Ahmed are attorneys Derrek W. Cummings, Larry A. Weisberg, Steve T. Mahan, and Michael J. Bradley from Weisberg Cummings P.C., while presiding over this case is Judge Yvette Kane under Case ID: 1:24-cv-00843-YK.