A former employee has filed a lawsuit against a state agency, alleging severe racial and gender discrimination that led to his wrongful termination. Dr. Mikki Johnson filed the complaint in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois on September 3, 2024, against his former employer, the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC).
Dr. Johnson, a Black male who served as Assistant Director of Human Resources and Development at ISAC, claims he faced persistent racism and gender discrimination from his supervisor, Vicki Baba. Baba allegedly made offensive jokes about gay and transgender individuals and used racially charged language disguised as jokes about Assyrians when Dr. Johnson was present. The lawsuit details numerous instances where Baba's behavior created a hostile work environment. For example, she reportedly segregated Dr. Johnson from other employees by refusing to assign him meaningful work while giving assignments to female colleagues.
Dr. Johnson also accuses Baba of making derogatory comments about Black Lives Matter and placing a "This House Backs the Blue" sign behind her camera during virtual meetings to assert dominance over her Black employees. Additionally, Baba is said to have made disparaging remarks about other minority employees and people with disabilities.
The plaintiff reported these issues to several senior officials within ISAC, including Executive Director Eric Zarnikow, but claims no action was taken to address his concerns. Instead, after an anonymous complaint was filed with the Office of the Executive Inspector General (OEIG) regarding Baba's conduct, Dr. Johnson alleges he was wrongfully terminated on August 19, 2022.
Dr. Johnson seeks several forms of relief from the court: reinstatement to his former position with back pay and benefits, compensatory damages for emotional distress and humiliation, attorney’s fees, and an injunction against further discriminatory practices by ISAC.
The case is being handled by Steven D. Horak as Dr. Johnson's attorney. The presiding judge has yet to be named in Case No.: 1:24-cv-08005.