Co-Plaintiff Joins Racial Discrimination Lawsuit Indicates Chicago Employment Lawyer, Timothy Coffey

Chicago, IL (Law Firm Newswire) November 15, 2013 – A racial discrimination lawsuit was recently filed against Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, Illinois.

“This is a unique case, in that one employee complained of racial discrimination, being on the receiving end of racial slurs, and then was joined by a co-worker who witnessed the numerous incidences of racism in the workplace,” explained Timothy Coffey, a Chicago employment lawyer and principal attorney for The Coffey Law Office, P. C., an employment litigation firm dedicated to representing employees in the workplace. “The second worker joined the suit and backed up what the complainant alleged.”

The plaintiffs indicated in their statement of claim that they were fired for speaking up about alleged illegal conduct by their supervisors and the managers of the facility. The lead plaintiff stated that he kept going to work, despite being constantly subjected to various racial slurs, such as the “n-word,” was blocked for job promotions and was made to wear an ID badge with a picture of Jimmie Walker, an African American actor/stand-up comedian, who played J.J. Evans on the 1970s TV sitcom “Good Times.”

Even as he continued to work at his job at the Center, the lead plaintiff also alleged he was the victim of several unauthorized background checks by his supervisor, a part-time police officer. In fact, it appeared the supervisor ran background checks on a number of African American employees. Another officer on staff reportedly spoke up about the abuse the lead complainant says he dealt with daily. “It appears that the man speaking up caused him to be fired, demonstrating that the racism was condoned by senior hospital officials,” Coffey added.

The workplace racism was apparently widespread; supervising superior officers reportedly said that they would “take care of” the complainant who filed the lawsuit. The co-plaintiff says he had seen enough and took his concerns to upper management. Nothing was done, he says, and the abuse continued, while the whistleblower was fired.

“This is a good case to watch, as it is not often a co-plaintiff steps up and verifies what another plaintiff has said about their treatment,” says Coffey. “Should the allegations be confirmed, it is likely both plaintiffs will be successful in their action, one for racial discrimination and one for wrongful dismissal.”

Racial discrimination, though illegal, is an ongoing issue in many workplace environments. Individuals who are subjected to racial discrimination do have legal recourse. The best way to handle it is to make contact with an experienced employment lawyer.

Learn more at http://www.employmentlawcounsel.com/ THE COFFEY LAW OFFICE, P.C. 351 W. Hubbard Street, Suite 602 Chicago, IL 60654 Call: 312.627.9700