Talia Green has filed a civil action lawsuit against KP Innovative Concepts, LLC, and its owner Michael Palkovic, alleging racial discrimination, harassment, and retaliation. The complaint was filed on May 31, 2024, in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.
Green's lawsuit stems from her employment as a Housekeeping Supervisor at Delaware Valley Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center starting March 2, 2022. Despite being hired by KP Innovative Concepts (KP), her day-to-day work was conducted at Delaware Valley. Shortly after beginning her role, Green alleges she was subjected to repeated racial harassment by Beverly Gorki, another Management Supervisor employed by KP. According to the complaint, Gorki made several derogatory comments towards Green, including calling her a "stupid black idiot" and likening her hairstyle to "snakes" while referring to her as a "black monkey."
Green claims that despite reporting these incidents to Palkovic multiple times via text messages and direct conversations, no effective action was taken to address the hostile environment. On one occasion when Green reported Gorki’s behavior to Palkovic on April 7, 2022, he assured her that Gorki would be reassigned elsewhere; however, Gorki continued working at Delaware Valley.
The situation escalated further when Green wore box braids to work on April 13, 2022. She alleges that Gorki made more racially charged comments about her appearance. Following this incident and others where Gorki allegedly called Green a "black idiot" and told her she should go back to Africa—a place Green has never been—Green felt compelled to give two weeks' notice due to the intolerable work conditions.
On June 22, 2022, after informing Palkovic of her resignation due to the hostile work environment created by Gorki’s actions and his inaction in addressing them adequately, Green claims she was abruptly fired before completing her notice period. She recounts being escorted out of the building by Palkovic who allegedly grabbed her by the shirt and threatened to call the police if she spoke with other employees or did not leave immediately.
As a result of these events, Green asserts she suffered severe emotional distress requiring medication for anxiety. She also experienced financial hardships including falling behind on rent and utilities due to sudden unemployment. Consequently, Green is seeking damages exceeding $150,000 for back pay with interest, front pay compensatory damages for emotional distress and mental anguish among other reliefs.
Representing Talia Green is Virginia L. Hardwick of Hardwick Benfer LLC based in Doylestown PA. The case is presided over by Judge JKM under Case ID: 3:24-cv-00901-JKM.