A Black woman who twice contracted the coronavirus is suing a construction company, alleging she was forced to resign in 2020 in retaliation for taking an extended medical leave and for complaining about discrimination and sexual harassment on the job.
Shalondous Heard’s Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit against Skanska-Traylor-Shea alleges sexual harassment, gender and racial discrimination, failure to take steps to stop discrimination and harassment, wrongful constructive discharge, retaliation, intentional infliction of emotional distress. She seeks unspecified damages in the suit filed Thursday.
A representative for Skanska-Traylor-Shea, which has offices on Wilshire Boulevard in the Miracle Mile area, could not be immediately reached.
Heard was hired by Skanska-Traylor-Shea as a carpenter apprentice in June 2018 and was making $30 an hour when she quit, the suit states.
Heard was the only woman in her position and is Black, while a majority of her colleagues were male Latinos, according to the suit. She initially did not think her race or gender made a difference, but “she quickly realized that she was the target for harassment and discrimination,” the suit states
Despite knowing Heard did not understand Spanish, all meetings would be conducted in that language, leaving the plaintiff feeling unequal to her Latino counterparts, the suit states.
Heard’s male co-workers often asked her to sit on their laps and made other inappropriate remarks, but when she complained, she was told to “suck it up,” the suit states.
When her team finally held a meeting about sexual harassment after her many complaints, Heard was subjected to a backlash by colleagues who called her a “snitch” and other unflattering terms, the suit states.
Heard contracted the coronavirus last April, stayed in quarantine for two weeks and returned to work when she obtained a negative result, the suit states. However, shortly after her return, Heard became ill, was hospitalized and found out she had contracted the coronavirus again, this time with more severe symptoms, according to the suit
Heard went on medical leave last May until Sept. 1, and when she returned to work, she requested and was granted a new position that would give her less exposure to the coronavirus, the suit states. However, later in September she was told she would have to return to her job as a carpenter apprentice in November, the same job where she twice contracted COVID-19, the suit states.
“Despite having knowledge of these concerns, (Skanska) gave (Heard) no other choice but to return to her original position,” the suit states. “Realizing that (Skanska) was not going to take any steps to protect her health and safety, (Heard) was forced to resign from her position.”
Heard alleges Skanska forced her to resign in retaliation for her complaints for discrimination and harassment and because she became ill and took medical leave.