A former employee has taken legal action against a major energy provider, alleging racial discrimination and retaliation. Larry Morris Jr. filed a complaint against Commonwealth Edison Company (ComEd) in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois on August 13, 2024.
Morris, who worked at ComEd from May 2019 until June 30, 2023, held several roles including Supervisor of Construction and Front-Line Supervisor overseeing a crew of twenty workers. He claims that during his tenure, he faced discriminatory conduct due to his race (Black) and was subjected to retaliation after reporting this behavior through ComEd's internal channels. According to the complaint, Morris’ working conditions deteriorated to such an extent that he felt compelled to resign.
The lawsuit details Morris' career trajectory at ComEd, noting that he was hired as a Senior Construction Manager in May 2019 and promoted to Front Line Supervisor in May 2021. Despite meeting or exceeding performance expectations and receiving bonuses accordingly, Morris alleges that starting in September 2022, he experienced harassment from his manager J Decker and other superiors. His quarterly bonus was inexplicably reduced from 100% to 85% despite no negative change in job performance.
Morris reported these issues using ComEd’s internal procedures multiple times between September 2022 and January 2023 but saw no resolution. Instead, he claims that his work performance was falsely criticized as poor—citing allegations of poor communication and sleeping during meetings—as a pretext for reducing his bonus and work duties. By June 2023, Morris states that the hostile work environment had become so intolerable that it affected his ability to perform his duties safely and efficiently, leading him to resign on June 30, 2023.
The complaint brings forth two counts: Count I is for racial discrimination under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; Count II is for retaliation under the same statute. Morris asserts that ComEd's actions were willful and done with reckless disregard for his federally protected rights. He seeks reinstatement to his prior or a comparable position at ComEd, compensatory and punitive damages, lost wages and benefits, attorney fees, costs of the action, and any other relief deemed just by the court.
Representing Morris is attorney Peter Manikowski from Manikowski Law Office L.L.C., based in Oak Park, Illinois. The case has been assigned Case ID: 1:24-cv-07147.