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Plaintiff Alleges Saint Anthony Hospital Engaged in Sexual Harassment and Retaliation

COOK COUNTY RECORD

Tuesday, December 24, 2024

Plaintiff Alleges Saint Anthony Hospital Engaged in Sexual Harassment and Retaliation

Federal Court
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Timothy Matthews has filed a lawsuit against Saint Anthony Hospital, alleging sexual harassment, sex-based discrimination, and retaliation under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The complaint was lodged in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois on October 8, 2024. Matthews claims that during his tenure as a security officer at the hospital, he was subjected to inappropriate comments and behavior by his manager, which led to a hostile work environment.

According to the complaint, Matthews began working at Saint Anthony Hospital on January 18, 2022. His troubles started in April 2024 when his manager, Jose Rodriguez, allegedly made several sexually charged remarks. For instance, Rodriguez joked about Matthews taking another male to a hotel and questioned if he was "getting ready for a guy" after seeing him apply chapstick. Despite expressing discomfort and reporting these incidents to Vice President Mike Seller, the behavior reportedly continued unabated.

Matthews further alleges that after raising concerns about Rodriguez's conduct with Seller in April 2024, he faced retaliatory actions culminating in his termination on May 17, 2024. The official reason given for his dismissal was issues flagged during a background check—an issue previously resolved months earlier when HR admitted an error upon hiring him. Matthews argues that this sequence of events indicates discriminatory and retaliatory motives by Saint Anthony Hospital.

The plaintiff seeks various forms of relief from the court including back pay and benefits lost due to termination, compensatory damages for emotional distress suffered due to harassment and discrimination, punitive damages against the hospital for willful disregard of his rights under Title VII, as well as attorney’s fees and costs incurred during litigation.

Representing Timothy Matthews is Alexander J. Taylor from Sulaiman Law Group Ltd., while details regarding defense counsel are not provided in the document. The case ID is: 1:24-cv-09675.

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