ST. LOUIS – A woman formerly employed by Washington University alleges she was terminated in retaliation for filing a complaint about hostile treatment from a supervisor.
Jennifer Barfield filed a complaint on July 30 in the St. Louis Circuit Court against Washington University School of Medicine and Jeanne Velders alleging violation of the Missouri Human Rights Act.
According to the complaint, the plaintiff was employed by Washington University in its Human Research Protection Office. She alleges when a co-worker friend filed a charge of discrimination against Washington University and after she spoke with human resources about the co-worker's claim, she was subjected to hostile treatment from Velders, her supervisor.
The plaintiff alleges she filed a report with the university about Velders' conduct on May 24, 2017, and was terminated the following day.
The plaintiff holds Washington University School of Medicine and Velders responsible because the defendants allegedly retaliated against her for engaging in protected activities.
The plaintiff requests a trial by jury and seeks judgment in her favor in an amount greater than $25,000, plus costs, attorney's fees and all other relief that are proper and just. She is represented by Jase Carter of Carter Law Firm LLC in St. Louis.
St. Louis Circuit Court case number 1822-CC10870