University of North Texas employee Allison Timmons Vrana claims that she was a victim of retaliation in the workplace after she filed for an appeal to her own performance review as a college employee. She claimed that her performance review was unfair and discriminatory, but that when she informed her employer of the discrimination, she was simply asked to just stop making complaints.
The Southeast Texas Record reports that the woman has filed a lawsuit against the University in hopes of seeking damages for back pay, front pay, lost benefits, compensatory damages, including recovery for mental distress, punitive damages, costs of court and attorney's fees. The lawsuit was filed in the Sherman Division of the Eastern District of Texas on June 18, where a jury trial has been requested for this case.
A Texas employment lawyer is representing the plaintiff because the employer allegedly subjected the plaintiff to terms and conditions of employment that were different and less favorable than the working conditions of other employees.
It often takes the work of a very skilled employment lawyer to prove retaliation in a work environment. This is because an adverse action is only considered retaliatory if it is taken because the employee complained. FindLaw states that the defendants can argue that adverse action was taken for other reasons besides the fact that a complaint was filed against them. This is true even if the employee has already complained about discrimination or harassment to the employer.
Related Resources:
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Discrimination FAQ (FindLaw)
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Discrimination and Harassment: Resources (FindLaw)
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Find a Houston Employment Lawyer (FindLaw)
