NEW ORLEANS – A Louisiana woman has filed a lawsuit against a plant equipment company alleging she was a victim of racial and sexual discrimination.
Plaintiff Saleria C. Dumas filed her federal lawsuit November 8 against Mohawk Field Services also alleging a hostile work environment, retaliation, discrimination in pay and disparate treatment based on sex.
According to court documents, Dumas is a Black who was hired by Mohawk Field Services in November 2022 to work as a rigger. In December 2022, she says she was moved to the company's tool room, which had no heat or electricity and an infestation of rats. She further claims she faced unwanted sexual advances and harassment from a coworker and her supervisor in the new position. When she refused her co-worker's sexual advances, she says he became more aggressive toward her and began calling her derogatory names. When she reported her co-worker's behavior, she says management informed her the co-worker had accused her of making a racist comment and told her to return home while an investigation was conducted.
Dumas says she was allowed to return to work, but the sexual harassment and discrimination from her supervisor and co-worker continued until she was terminated on February 1, 2023. Dumas claims a white woman took her position, and improvements were made in the tool room to accommodate her replacement.
Dumas went through administrative procedures by filing a Charge of Discrimination with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).
Dumas is seeking a judgment for various forms of relief, including reinstatement, back pay, compensatory and punitive damages plus interest, attorney fees, court costs and other relief. She also seeks an injunction prohibiting the defendant from any further unlawful acts of harassment or discrimination.
She is being represented by Christopher Minias of The Minias Law Firm in New Orleans.
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana case number 3:23-cv-01574