Dr. Carol Palackdharry, a distinguished medical professional, has filed a lawsuit against CVS Health Corporation, Aetna Resources, LLC, and Dr. Jonathan Rubens, alleging discrimination and wrongful termination. The complaint was lodged in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois on October 15, 2024. Dr. Palackdharry accuses her former employers of violating multiple federal and state laws, including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), and the Illinois Human Rights Act.
Dr. Palackdharry's career with Aetna began in 2011 as a Clinical Lead and Medical Director within its ActiveHealth Management division. Despite her significant contributions to healthcare programs and overcoming personal health challenges due to spinal surgeries that left her with severe disabilities, she alleges that her tenure was marred by discriminatory practices led by Dr. Jonathan Rubens. According to the complaint, Dr. Rubens exhibited a pattern of demeaning behavior towards female employees and made derogatory comments about Dr. Palackdharry’s appearance during virtual meetings due to her disability accommodations.
The complaint details several instances where Dr. Rubens allegedly undermined Dr. Palackdharry’s professional standing by excluding her from critical discussions and misrepresenting feedback from senior executives about her performance. After raising concerns about this conduct in late 2021, Dr. Palackdharry claims she faced retaliation through exclusion from essential communications and negative performance evaluations.
Despite assurances from her direct supervisor that she would be retained within the company amidst restructuring efforts in 2022, Dr. Palackdharry found herself sidelined from key projects she had developed and ultimately terminated under contentious circumstances in December 2022. She asserts that following her dismissal, a younger and less qualified individual assumed her responsibilities under a similar job title.
Dr. Palackdharry is seeking compensatory damages for lost wages and benefits, emotional distress damages, punitive damages for willful misconduct by the defendants, attorney fees, and other relief deemed appropriate by the court.
Representing Dr. Carol Palackdharry is attorney Jamie S. Franklin from C-K Law Group based in Chicago, Illinois. The case is being presided over by an unnamed judge under Case ID: 1:24-cv-10256.