In the United States District Court, Northern District of Illinois, plaintiff Cieara Flowers has filed a lawsuit against Simple Laboratories, LLC. The case, numbered 1:24-cv-03694, was filed on May 7th, 2024. The suit alleges race-based discrimination, harassment and retaliation under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Flowers was employed by Simple Laboratories as a phlebotomist from June 14th, 2022 until her constructive discharge on January 27th, 2024. She alleges that throughout her employment she was subjected to disparaging comments and racist remarks targeted at employees of color. Furthermore, she claims that her supervisor referred to her using derogatory terms such as "lazy," "insubordinate," "missing in action," "unreliable," and "useless."
Flowers sought redress for this treatment through Simple Laboratories' Human Resources department and the company's CEO in a meeting held on January 5th, 2023. However, instead of investigating her complaints, she claims they were ignored and dismissed as a "waste of time." Following this meeting, Flowers alleges that she was stripped of her supervisory authority in an act of retaliation for making the complaint.
The plaintiff is seeking judgment under the Civil Rights Act of 1964 for race-based discrimination and harassment. Additionally, she is seeking damages for retaliation under Title VII.