FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 23, 2014

Kraemer, Manes & Associates LLC has filed a complaint against Career Systems Development Corporation on behalf of Philip Shields in the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County.

The complaint alleges that Plaintiff, a mentally disabled African American male, interviewed for a position with Career Systems Development Corporation with Defendant’s employee, Ronnie Smith, for a security position. The complaint further alleges that Plaintiff informed Mr. Smith that he was mentally disabled and that during the interview, Mr. Smith was rude and aggressive towards the Plaintiff and did not hire him. The complaint alleges that the demeanor of Mr. Smith changed when Plaintiff informed him of the disability and that the interview was subsequently cut short. The complaint further alleges that Plaintiff’s mother, following the interview, asked if the Plaintiff could interview for another position. The complaint alleges that Plaintiff was hired in a food service position but during this time, he was subjected to slurs about his race and disability including “you people move slow,” “do you live in a barnyard,” “lazy,” “you came a long way,” and “you’re slow as ever,” by Michael Smalley, the food service manager, in front of co-workers. The complaint also alleges that Raymond Rose, another food service manager, made slurs about Plaintiff’s disability including comments such as “retarded,” “stupid,” “weird,” “slow,” and “you move slow as molasses.” The complaint also asserts that Dorothy Coleman, a cook, and Ronnie Smith, a manager both harassed and taunted plaintiff. The complaint alleges that the racial discrimination, disability slurs, and harassment were pervasive, occurred on a regular basis, and affected his ability to perform his job. The complaint alleges that Plaintiff informed the Defendant’s HR Coordinator, Melissa Mourtacos, of the derogatory comments made to his disability and the general hostile environment at work. The complaint further alleges that Plaintiff was terminated in less than two months after his complaint for completing his time sheets incorrectly despite the fact that other similarly situated and non-disabled employees who were not terminated. The complaint further instructed by food service managers instructed him to complete it in this fashion. The complaint alleges that the Defendant violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act for disability discrimination, racial discrimination, harassment, and retaliation.

Lead attorney on this case for the Plaintiff is Joseph Pometto. Full text of the complaint, as filed with the court, is available here: Complaint – Shields vs Career Systems Development Corporation. This case is docketed as AR-14-001906.

Kraemer, Manes & Associates LLC is a law firm headquartered in Pittsburgh focusing on business law, employment law, and litigation. The firm’s clients include small businesses, employers, employees, and parties in civil litigation. The firm has won significant judgments and settlements from regional and national defendants.

Additional information about this lawsuit can be obtained by contacting us at press@lawkm.com or (412) 626-5626.