Oleksandra Shalak claims that despite meeting or exceeding job expectations and receiving multiple promotions and merit pay raises since her employment began in February 2016, she faced discrimination after notifying her employer about pregnancy-related complications in November 2021.
The plaintiffs request to work from home due to her condition was initially denied and later approved only after multiple submissions of medical records. She also filed a formal complaint about this treatment in March 2022.
Ms. Shalak has filed a lawsuit against the City of Chicago in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division. The case, identified as 1:24-cv-03941, was filed on May 14, 2024.
Ms. Shalak alleges that her termination from employment was discriminatory and retaliatory, violating Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Section 1981 of the Civil Rights Act of 1871, and Sections 1983 of the First and Fourteenth Amendments.
The plaintiff is represented by Timothy J. Coffey from The Coffey Law Office, P.C.
The plaintiff is seeking judgment against the City of Chicago for back pay, reimbursement for lost benefits, compensatory damages, and legal costs. Additionally, she requests either reinstatement to her former position or an appropriate amount of front pay if reinstatement is not feasible.