Latest news with #wrongfultermination
National Post
10 hours ago
- Sport
- National Post
Ex-NFL player sues Chiefs for wrongful termination, racial discrimination
A former NFL defensive back is suing the Kansas City Chiefs for wrongful termination from his job as director of player engagement after accusing the franchise of discriminating against him because he is Black. Article content Ramzee Robinson, who spent nine years with the Chiefs, filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri on Sunday. Article content Article content In the lawsuit, Robinson claims that he was called into a meeting in February and accused of attacking a female co-worker, and that Chiefs refused to show him security video of the encounter. Robinson ultimately was fired from his position, which involved locker room management, mentorship and other responsibilities within the team. Article content Article content The lawsuit claims that Robinson was paid a salary of $125,000 US by the Chiefs, but that his research found other NFL teams paid comparable positions an average salary of $171,932, not including other benefits. It also claims that 'the Chiefs paid African-American business employees less than their white counterparts.' Article content Chiefs spokesman Brad Gee told The Associated Press on Wednesday that while he could not comment on pending legal matters, 'to be clear, the Chiefs do not tolerate discrimination of any kind.' Article content
Fox News
12 hours ago
- Sport
- Fox News
Chiefs sued by former employee alleging racial discrimination after being accused of attacking female coworker
The Kansas City Chiefs are being sued by former NFL defensive back Ramzee Robinson, who previously worked as the team's director of player engagement. Robinson is alleging wrongful termination after accusing the franchise of discriminating against him because he is Black. He filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri on Sunday. In the lawsuit, Robinson claims that he was called into a meeting in February and accused of attacking a female co-worker, and that the Chiefs refused to show him security video of the encounter. Robinson ultimately was fired from his position, which involved locker room management, mentorship and other responsibilities within the team. The lawsuit claims that Robinson was paid a salary of $125,000 by the Chiefs, but that his research found other NFL teams paid comparable positions an average salary of $171,932, not including other benefits. It also claims that "the Chiefs paid African-American business employees less than their white counterparts." Chiefs spokesman Brad Gee told The Associated Press on Wednesday that while he could not comment on pending legal matters, "to be clear, the Chiefs do not tolerate discrimination of any kind." Robinson spent nine years working for the Chiefs in a front office role. Robinson was the final player chosen in the 2007 draft by Detroit. He played in 19 games over two seasons for the Lions, then appeared in three games for Philadelphia and four for Cleveland in 2009. He never played for the Chiefs. Fox News Digital has reached out to the Chiefs for further comment. Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Most claims against AG's office in wrongful termination suit to move forward
SPRINGFIELD — Most claims made in a wrongful termination suit alleging age discrimination and retaliation within the state Attorney General's Office will continue, according to court documents. Last August, Bart Q. Hollander, a former employee with the AG's office, filed a lawsuit against 10 of his former employers and colleagues, alleging that he was discriminated and retaliated against because of his age and for speaking out. He also claims he was wrongfully terminated. One of the named defendants in the lawsuit is prosecutor Amy Karangekis, who was nominated to be a judge for the Massachusetts Superior Court late last month. Karangekis was confirmed by the Governor's Council, the eight-member elected body that confirms judicial nominations at a hearing earlier this month, according to Karissa Hand, the spokesperson for Gov. Maura Healey. She will be sworn in on June 30. Hollander was a former senior employee of the Springfield Regional Office of the AG's office, serving in two roles — regional chief of the office and senior trial counsel — over the course of a decade between 2013 and 2023, according to his complaint. He made 13 claims against his former employers in the civil complaint, including coercion and intimidation, aiding and abetting, and deprivation of his First Amendment rights. Hampshire Superior Court Judge Bertha D. Josephson upheld six of those claims, and partially maintained a seventh claim in a memorandum an order filed June 6. The claim that was partially upheld was a state violation. The federal law violation counterpart was dismissed. Josephson also dismissed Hollander's claims of his First Amendment rights being violated. To have a successful age discrimination claim, Hollander must prove that he was over 40 and was harmed by discrimination, according to Josephson's memorandum and order. The Supreme Judicial Court has held that age disparities of less than five years are 'too insignificant,' the memorandum and order said. Hollander, who was 54 when he was terminated, claims he was replaced by someone about 22 years younger. A claim, the judge said, is sufficient. Hollander states that he complained about age-based discrimination and/or retaliation for complaining about the discrimination on five specific occasions. Inferences Hollander made about certain statements he alleged his employers said to him referred to 'his longevity at his job and, inferentially, his age,' the memorandum said. The AG's office and 10 employees named in the complaint in February filed a motion to dismiss Hollander's allegations that he was retaliated against; Josephson denied the motion. Hollander claimed that other than Liza Tran, the primary defendant, the other nine defendants each played a role in aiding and abetting the alleged discriminatory statements based on his age. 'Here, the plaintiff has adequately alleged that his employment was terminated because of his age,' the judge said about specific allegations against two of the defendants, AG Andrea Joy Campbell and her first assistant, Patrick Moore. Hollander alleges Campbell and Moore received an email from Hollander where he complained of Tran's and others' discriminatory and retaliatory conduct, and that they decided to terminate his employment as a result. The only claim that was wholly dismissed was Hollander's allegation that his First Amendment rights were infringed upon when he spoke out about the alleged discrimination as a public employee. To successfully argue the First Amendment retaliation claim as a public employee, Hollander must establish that he was 'speaking as a citizen on a matter of public concern,' that his interests in commenting on matters of public concern outweighed his employer's interest in its efficiency in performic public services through its employees, and that what he said was a 'substantial or motivating factor in the adverse employment decision,' the memorandum and order said. The defendants must now submit discovery documents as the case moves forward. Campbell, the attorney general, and Moore, her first assistant attorney general, 'face personal liability' for Hollander's wrongful termination claim, according to an emailed statement from Tim Kotfila, the Springfield attorney representing Hollander. 'The (AG's office) and these 10 individual defendants have dodged and delayed properly-served discovery for nine months, and now that Mr. Hollander will receive discovery responses from the defendants, his case is going to strengthen with every passing day,' the statement continued. The AG's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Commission OK's more casino mitigation money, but the well may be running dry Walter Gunn resigns from Longmeadow Planning Board amid town tensions Celebrating Latino heritage: Pedro Veras leads mural project in Springfield Springfield police confiscate 11 guns, arrest 8 in 3 operations over 2 days Read the original article on MassLive.
Washington Post
2 days ago
- Sport
- Washington Post
Ex-NFL player Ramzee Robinson sues Chiefs for wrongful termination, racial discrimination
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A former NFL defensive back is suing the Kansas City Chiefs for wrongful termination from his job as director of player engagement after accusing the franchise of discriminating against him because he is Black. Ramzee Robinson, who spent nine years with the Chiefs, filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri on Sunday.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
YMCA branch will settle with VP who said she was fired for pursuing IVF
This story was originally published on HR Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily HR Dive newsletter. The YMCA of Waukesha, Wisconsin, will settle a former vice president of operation's claims that she was wrongfully fired due to her pursuit of in vitro fertilization treatment, according to court documents filed June 13 (Rehm v. YMCA of Greater Waukesha Inc.). The decision to settle followed U.S. District Court Judge Pamela Pepper's order allowing the employee's wrongful termination claim to proceed last December. The judge dismissed four other claims, including charges of unequal pay and retaliation in violation of both the Equal Pay Act and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. The terms of the settlement agreement have not yet been released but both parties said in a court document 'they have a good faith belief that this case is resolved.' The dispute in the case centered on whether YMCA's reasons for firing the VP were pretextual. The CEO of the YMCA branch asserted the VP demonstrated a lack of leadership and disregard for her job duties, according to the judge's December order, telling her at her termination that she was 'not performing at a level commensurate with a vice president of an organization.' He also contended that staff had complained about her poor work ethic and lack of accountability. However, the worker said she had consistently received positive feedback on her performance and no feedback suggesting she needed to improve. She also said the CEO could not point to specific incidents of lackluster job performance — and pointed out that she received an incentive bonus just a few months before her firing. The worker also argued that the alleged performance issues were manufactured as pretext and occurred more than two years before her firing, and that YMCA could not provide a consistent explanation for who decided to fire her. Finally, the employee pointed to comments the CEO made to a team with multiple pregnant employees, including that he was 'going to have to change the water in here' and that no one else was 'allowed to get pregnant.' 'Although a factfinder could conclude that the defendant's reasons for firing the plaintiff were legitimate, the plaintiff has shown that there is reason to question [the CEO's] justifications,' Pepper found. She found that given the timing of the CEO's comments on worker pregnancies, the timing of performance issue documentation beginning just days after she announced she was starting IVF and comments from the CEO during that conversation, there was a genuine issue of material fact concerning the motivation for the firing. Employers and HR professionals should document performance issues, compliance experts have advised, but doing so is not always a silver bullet. The timing of such documentation — and how closely it aligns with other events — can complicate an employer's defense. In a similar case, for example, a terminated worker alleged her company, Santander Consumer USA, began aggressively documenting her deficiencies shortly after she announced she was pregnant. The worker and Santander reached a settlement on that case in late February, according to court documents. Recommended Reading EEOC targets universities for antisemitic treatment of staff Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
