Rico De Guia, the plaintiff-appellant, filed an appeal against the Illinois Civil Service Commission and other defendants in the Appellate Court of Illinois, First District. The court case ID is 1-22-1660 and the order was filed on April 8, 2024.
De Guia was discharged from his employment with the Department of Human Services (DHS) due to allegations of inappropriate comments made to a coworker. The incident occurred on February 3, 2021, when Remedios Tiu filed an employee discrimination complaint against De Guia alleging sexual harassment. The Bureau of Civil Affairs investigated Tiu’s complaint and found it substantiated.
The DHS had previously suspended De Guia for 30 days in 2007 for sexual harassment. Following this new incident, a human resources representative recommended suspending him for another 30 days pending discharge for cause. On September 15, 2021, the Department of Central Management Services (CMS) notified De Guia that DHS had filed a charge seeking to terminate him for conduct unbecoming of a state employee and CMS had approved his discharge.
De Guia is appealing the decision arguing that the Commission’s factual findings were against the manifest weight of the evidence and its decision that his discharge was warranted was unreasonable. He is seeking reversal of his termination from employment with DHS.