A former St. Vincent Meals on Wheels employee is suing the organization, alleging she was terminated earlier this year for complaining about a work environment that included sexual harassment, allowing prostitutes to sleep with senior residents and forcing the plaintiff to wear a coronavirus mask despite her asthma.
The plaintiff is identified only as Jane Doe in the Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit in which her allegations include retaliation, discrimination, harassment and failure to engage in the interactive process.
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She seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages.
A St. Vincent representative did not immediately reply to a request for comment on the suit brought Tuesday.
The 26-year-old plaintiff suffers from fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. Together with her asthma, the conditions leave her with more difficulty processing thoughts and breathing. She was hired in late January 2023 as an executive assistant to the CEO at the Westlake-based organization that delivers meals to homebound residents unable to provide for themselves.
Doe played a key role in successfully merging two nonprofits, managed her boss' schedule and represented the supervisor at business conferences and supervised projects, according to the complaint.
However, she was subjected to sexual harassment and discrimination by a St. Vincent contractor, according to the suit, which further states that management did nothing when she spoke out and she was forced to cope with that individual and others who allegedly committed similar misconduct.
Doe also maintains she was groped by a St. Vincent executive during the annual Meals on Wheels conference in Phoenix in 2023, which the plaintiff attended at the request of her boss, who was unable to go, the suit states.
Nothing was done when Doe returned to the office and complained about the executive and other St. Vincent employees also harassed her, including one male worker who said to her, "You did ballet for 15 years? You better not be doing pole dancing," the suit alleges.
Another St. Vincent male employee told Doe, "You better not be doing funny business on the weekend or you'll end up pregnant like some of our other colleagues who are currently pregnant," the suit further states.
Although her asthma impaired her breathing, Doe was not exempted from having to wear a coronavirus mask, forcing her to bring in a nebulizer and inhalers, the suit states. When she lost consciousness while wearing a mask in March of this year, a manager did not call 911 and instead offered to drive her to a hospital emergency room, the suit states.
Doe was still required to wear a mask when she returned to work, according to the suit, which also states that another unhappy St. Vincent employee complained that an organization worker was taking a senior resident's panties and having sex with other St. Vincent employees on site as well as allowing prostitutes into the senior residences to sleep with tenants.
Doe was terminated on April 26, and St. Vincent management told her she lost her job in part for being tardy to work, the suit states.
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