Doctor files discrimination suit against Advocate Health and Hospitals Corp.

A Cook County physician and surgeon is suing his former employer, claiming he was fired in retaliation for  lawsuit for making allegations of racial discrimination.

Dr. Calvin Grant filed a complaint Nov. 25 in Cook County Circuit Court against Advocate Health and Hospitals Corp.

According to the complaint, Grant is black, male ophthalmologist who was employed by the defendant since 2004. He claims that starting on June 15, 2011 and continuing until the end of his employment, he was harassed by his employer.

Among other actions, Grant asserts he was falsely accused of medical negligence, investigated for his billing practices and harassed with peer reviews of his performance. He says disciplinary and termination hearings were also initiated against him after he complained.

His suit alleges that similarly employed non-black medical staff were not treated in the same manner. He was fired on Aug. 22, 2013, according to the lawsuit that notes Grant received a notice of dismissal and right to sue from the Illinois Department of Human Rights in July after filing a timely complaint on Oct. 15, 2013.

Grant seeks damages in excess of $50,000, plus attorney's fees and court costs. He is represented by Timothy Wright and Robert A. Shipley of Timothy W. Wright III LLC in Chicago.

This is a report on a civil lawsuit filed at Cook County Circuit Court. The details in this report come from an original complaint filed by a plaintiff. Please note that a complaint represents an accusation by a private individual, not the government. It is not an indication of guilt and it represents only one side of the story.