On Monday a case was filed in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania by a former employee against the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and the plaintiff’s supervisor. The case is regarding pregnancy discrimination and retaliation for use of FMLA leave.
The plaintiff was employed by CHOP as a research scientist under the supervision of defendant Athena Zuppa. The plaintiff, according to the complaint, experienced two miscarriages and after returning two work, her supervisor made derogatory comments regarding the experiences.
After making a complaint to HR about these comments, the defendant allegedly began being unresponsive to the plaintiff’s work related needs, including not giving research credit in publications, physically shunning the plaintiff’s presence, rescinding nomination for a professorship, and threatening to give a negative response to future employers regarding her time at CHOP.
After the plaintiff went on Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) leave in 2020, the plaintiff alleges that the harassment grew worse, including sabotaging the plaintiff’s loan repayment by refusing to confirm the plaintiff’s employment while she was on leave, interfering with the plaintiff’s applications to work with NIH, and other incidents resulting in constructive discharge.
The plaintiff is suing for Title VII disparate treatment, hostile work environment, retaliation, and FMLA interference and retaliation. The plaintiff is represented by the Derek Smith Law Group.
