A former employee has taken legal action against a local government entity, alleging racial discrimination and retaliation in the workplace. Samuel S. Robinson filed a complaint on February 6, 2025, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana against the St. Tammany Parish Government. The lawsuit accuses the parish government of creating a hostile work environment and retaliating against Robinson due to his race and skin color.
Robinson, an African American male who has been employed by St. Tammany Parish since 2010, claims that discriminatory practices began affecting him significantly in early 2023 after he was reassigned to report to a different supervisor, Derek Crayton, who is white. According to Robinson's complaint, this change led to increased and restricted responsibilities compared to his peers and ultimately resulted in the removal of certain job benefits such as the use of a take-home vehicle—a benefit still enjoyed by his white colleagues living outside the parish.
Feeling singled out and discriminated against, Robinson raised concerns with his supervisors and Human Resources Director Adrienne A. Stroble about being treated differently than similarly situated white employees. Despite filing these complaints internally, Robinson alleges that no corrective actions were taken; instead, he was placed on paid sick leave while awaiting an investigation outcome from HR.
The situation escalated when Robinson was informed on February 13, 2023, that he could not return to his previous supervisory role but could accept a demotion to an equipment operator position with reduced pay and benefits—approximately half of what he earned as a supervisor. Since then, Robinson has continued working under these new conditions while pursuing legal recourse for what he describes as unlawful discrimination based on race and retaliation for opposing such practices.
Robinson seeks various forms of relief from the court including compensatory damages for lost wages and benefits, emotional distress damages, punitive damages under federal civil rights statutes (42 U.S.C §1981 and §2000), attorney’s fees, costs associated with bringing forth this lawsuit as well as any other equitable relief deemed appropriate by law or equity.
Representing Samuel S. Robinson is attorney Javier Jalice from Jalice Law Firm LLC located in Mandeville Louisiana; no defense attorneys are listed within this document nor any specific judge presiding over case number 2:25-cv-00268 at present time.