A new lawsuit has been filed against a municipal corporation and its Village President, alleging severe workplace discrimination and retaliation. The complaint was lodged by Jasjeet Sangha in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois on August 8, 2024, targeting the Village of Glendale Heights and its Village President, Chodri Ma Khokhar.
According to the court documents, Ms. Sangha was hired as an executive secretary by the Village of Glendale Heights in May 2022. Almost immediately, she found herself in a hostile work environment marked by political infighting and racial discrimination. The complaint details that Trustee Siddiqi harassed her based on her South Asian appearance, wrongly assuming she had connections with Village President Khokhar due to their shared ethnicity. This harassment included baseless accusations and discriminatory treatment. On the other hand, Village President Khokhar allegedly pressured Ms. Sangha to engage in illegal activities to support his political agenda. When she refused, she faced retaliatory actions such as exclusion from meetings and attempts to have her fired.
Ms. Sangha's ordeal began just days after starting her job when HR Manager Nicole Lewis scrutinized her work hours despite being informed that her position required flexibility. Trustees Pojack and Siddiqi also made derogatory comments about her cultural background and qualifications during public meetings, contributing to a toxic work environment. The situation escalated when Village President Khokhar demanded that Ms. Sangha create campaign materials using public resources and suspend business licenses for political reasons—actions she refused to undertake due to their illegality.
The plaintiff is seeking several forms of relief from the court, including compensation for emotional distress, mental anguish, humiliation, loss of reputation, lost wages, attorney's fees, and punitive damages against both defendants for their willful disregard of her rights.
Representing Ms. Sangha is Nicholas Kreitman from Kreitman Law LLC. The Case ID is 1:24-cv-06983.