Patricia Ramos has filed a discrimination and retaliation complaint against City Colleges of Chicago. The lawsuit, filed on May 30, 2024, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, alleges that City Colleges of Chicago violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and other state anti-discrimination laws by failing to accommodate her disabilities and retaliating against her for requesting such accommodations.
According to the complaint, Ramos has been employed as a college advisor at City Colleges of Chicago since December 13, 2010. She suffers from multiple disabilities including disc degeneration, depression, anxiety, and gastrointestinal dysfunction. These conditions substantially limit her major life activities during flare-ups, making it difficult for her to move from the waist down and causing severe fatigue and abdominal pain. Her treating physicians recommended telework on an as-needed basis as a reasonable accommodation for her conditions.
Ramos claims that when she requested these accommodations through Emily Chu at the EEO Office, only some were approved—specifically a sit-down/stand-up desk and a seat cushion—while her request for telework was denied. Following this denial, Ramos alleges she faced increased scrutiny and harassment from her employer. "Defendant was isolated, denied career-improvement opportunities, stalked, verbally abused, excessively micromanaged," states the complaint. The alleged retaliation also included hindering job advancement opportunities.
The complaint further details how Ramos's performance was consistently good until she raised complaints about discrimination. Despite being qualified for her position and having more than two years of experience in college counseling before joining City Colleges of Chicago in 2010, she asserts that she was treated less favorably than non-disabled employees who did not engage in protected activity under the ADA.
Ramos is seeking various forms of relief from the court including declaratory and injunctive relief to prevent further discriminatory practices by City Colleges of Chicago. She is also asking for compensatory damages for emotional distress, loss of reputation, humiliation, loss of enjoyment of life, economic losses, punitive damages for willful misconduct by the defendant, pre- and post-judgment interest at lawful rates, and any other relief deemed just by the court.
The case is being handled by Frank Avila from Avila Law on behalf of Patricia Ramos. The case ID is 1:24-cv-04491.