Franklin Ridge Healthcare Center Hit with Discrimination Lawsuit in Ohio

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A lawsuit recently removed to Ohio federal court details allegations that Classic Healthcare Systems LLC—Franklin Ridge Healthcare Center—discriminated against a former registered nurse unit manager when it demoted the woman due to her race. 

According to the lawsuit, the plaintiff, an African American woman, was one of two registered nurse unit managers and began working for the skilled nursing facility in May 2018. The case states the other woman employed in the same role as the plaintiff is Caucasian while the plaintiff was the only African American individual working at the center. In July 2018, the suit says, the plaintiff was informed by the defendant’s CEO and administrator that her job position was to be eliminated due to budgetary restrictions. Upon this news, the plaintiff, the lawsuit claims, was told that she could either accept a demotion into a non-management floor nurse position or be terminated.

After accepting the demotion, the complaint says, the plaintiff spoke with her former registered nurse unit manager counterpart, who revealed she was offered not a demotion, but another management position. The lawsuit states the plaintiff’s counterpart was offered a management position despite lacking experience in the role.

After a conversation in which the plaintiff’s counterpart suggested they switch roles given the plaintiff’s qualifications, the women approached their supervisor with the idea, according to the complaint. Permission was granted for the swap, the suit says, yet only on the condition that the plaintiff take a pay cut. As the plaintiff could not afford to do so, she accepted her demotion, the case provides.

The plaintiff later informed a supervisor that she felt she was being discriminated against due to her race, and soon thereafter filed a Charge of Discrimination with the Ohio Civil Rights Commission, the lawsuit says. A day after the plaintiff filed her complaint with the Ohio Civil Rights Commission, she attended a regular weekly meeting with her supervisors and former counterpart at which the parties discussed managerial position changes, the suit explains. At this meeting, the lawsuit says, the plaintiff stated she felt she was being discriminated against due to her race and informed one supervisor that she filed a Charge of Discrimination a day prior.

From here, the lawsuit says the plaintiff’s supervisors began to discuss her discrimination charge at the meeting despite the woman making clear she was not comfortable doing so.

“[The plaintiff] felt that it was unprofessional and inappropriate for her supervisors to discuss the charge in front of her at the meeting,” according to the suit, “and she felt that this was intentionally done to intimidate her.”

When the plaintiff returned from lunch after the meeting, the complaint says, she was informed she was being terminated due to her “offensive” behavior during the meeting.