A former maintenance engineer at Lurie Children’s Hospital is suing his one-time employer, saying the hospital allowed him to be subjected to ridicule and harassment in the workplace and a hostile work environment, because he is a white heterosexual male with conservative political beliefs, and then fired him, allegedly in retaliation for complaining about it.
On January 24, plaintiff David Leffler filed suit in Chicago federal court against Lurie. He is represented by attorney Marc P. Trent, of Schaumburg.
According to the complaint, Leffler worked in the maintenance department at Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital in Chicago beginning in January 2018.
In his complaint, Leffler alleges he was the target of ridicule and harassment from coworkers, and one coworker, in particular, who was identified in the complaint as a “homosexual male.”
According to the complaint, Leffler complained to hospital administrators of being harassed by this colleague, and being subjected to “inappropriate sexually-charged insults and comments.”
According to the complaint, however, the conflict with coworkers typically centered on Leffler’s political and religious beliefs, and display of what he called “patriotic” decals and other pro-American symbols, including a “Betsy Ross Flag,” which coworkers allegedly derided as a symbol “associated with slavery.”
The complaint notes the hospital ordered Leffler to remove that flag from his workspace.
In another instance, the complaint said Leffler was again reported anonymously to hospital administration for allegedly “aggressively” discussing recent firearms purchases with a coworker, including accusations that Leffler “was compiling a ‘kill list,’” potentially including coworkers.
The anonymous complaint also allegedly accused Leffler of illegal drug use.
Leffler further alleged he was allegedly continually harassed by employees at the hospital, particularly amid the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020, as being a “racist,” “white supremacist” and “militia member.”
On another occasion, a hospital supervisor allegedly ordered Leffler to remove “two decals representing his political affiliations” because the supervisor “believed them to be ‘associated with militia groups and white supremacy’ and labeled them ‘offensive.’”
When Leffler attempted to replace those with other decals, including a “1775 Gadsden flag with the words ‘Don’t Tread on Me’ inscribed” and a patch honoring the 2nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, administration also allegedly ordered him to remove those, as well.
Two weeks later, in March 2021, Leffler was fired. According to his complaint, the termination came despite no prior disciplinary actions against him and “several written and verbal commendations from doctors and other Hospital staffing for his outstanding performance” on the job.
The complaint accuses Lurie of race and sex discrimination, and of retaliation.
Leffler has asked the court to order Lurie to pay him unspecified damages, including all back pay lost since his termination, and punitive damages, plus attorney fees.
In an emailed statement, a spokesperson for Lurie declined to comment on the lawsuit directly.
The hospital spokesperson said: “Lurie Children’s is strongly committed to the principles of equal employment opportunity. Lurie Children’s opposes unlawful discrimination of any kind.”