KANSAS CITY – An employee of the Kansas City Veterans Administration Hospital has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs claiming she was subject to race and gender discrimination by her supervisor and several co-workers.
Taressa Morgan filed the lawsuit in federal court against the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and Secretary Denis McDonough, citing allegations of race, color, sex, age, and reprisal discrimination in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
According to court documents, Morgan, a Black female with a disability, worked as a nurse manager at the Kansas City Veterans Administration Hospital. She claims that during her employment, she was subjected to discrimination, disparate treatment, retaliatory harassment, and a hostile work environment by her supervisor and several doctors on the basis of her race, age, color and gender.
Morgan's lawsuit details specific instances of alleged discrimination from her colleagues, including exclusion from communications, failure to address staffing concerns, racial insensitivity, refusal to provide necessary information, and retaliation through increased scrutiny. Morgan claims that her Caucasian co-workers are not treated in such a manner. She adds that she reported the discriminatory behavior to management, but no proper corrective action was taken.
Morgan is seeking damages for emotional distress, mental anguish, embarrassment, loss of enjoyment of life, loss of wages and loss of earning capacity, plus attorney fees and other relief.
She is being represented by Rebecca M. Randles of Randles Mata in Gladstone.
U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri Western Division case number 4:23-cv-00830.