A former employee has filed a lawsuit against a major healthcare company, alleging discrimination, harassment, and retaliation. Mona Malhotra filed the complaint in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois on June 7, 2024, against CVS Health, Inc., and its subsidiary Caremark LLC.
Mona Malhotra, who worked for CVS for nearly six and a half years until January 17, 2023, claims she faced severe workplace discrimination based on her North Indian heritage and darker skin color. According to the complaint, Malhotra began experiencing issues after Bhavana Atti Janakiram became her manager in January 2022. Bhavana allegedly created a hostile work environment by calling Malhotra derogatory names like "Madam Mona," excluding her from important meetings, and withholding access to essential software tools. Despite filing complaints with HR and following up with higher management, no substantial action was taken to address her grievances.
Malhotra's lawsuit details numerous instances of alleged mistreatment. She asserts that Bhavana favored South Indian employees while discriminating against her due to their different ethnic backgrounds. For example, she claims that all easy clients were assigned to South Indian team members while more challenging clients were given to her. Additionally, she alleges that she was excluded from using key platforms like Google Cloud Platform (GCP) and PowerBI until senior executives intervened.
The plaintiff further alleges that after filing internal complaints about the discriminatory treatment, Bhavana retaliated by creating forged documents such as a Corrective Action Plan and other disciplinary records aimed at defaming Malhotra’s character. This culminated in her termination on January 17, 2023, without cause or HR involvement.
Malhotra is seeking judgment in excess of $75,000 plus punitive damages for lost wages and emotional distress. She also requests back pay, correction of employment records to make her eligible for rehire at CVS Health or its subsidiaries.
Representing herself pro se in this case is Mona Malhotra. The case is presided over by Magistrate Judge McShain under Case ID: 1:24-cv-04769.