A former employee has filed a lawsuit against a major retail corporation, alleging a pattern of discrimination and retaliation that led to her unjust termination. Halida Alesevic, the plaintiff, filed the complaint in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois on October 30, 2024, accusing Walmart, Inc. of multiple violations of federal employment laws.
Halida Alesevic, a 59-year-old Caucasian woman from Aurora claims that during her tenure at Walmart's Plainfield location since June 2001, she was subjected to discriminatory practices based on her race, national origin (Bosnian), religion (Islam), age, and disability. According to the complaint filed by her attorney Anthony J. Peraica & Associates, Ltd., Alesevic faced harassment and unfair treatment compared to younger employees or those not sharing her ethnic background or religious beliefs. The lawsuit highlights incidents such as being denied lighter-duty work despite medical restrictions following a car accident in 2019 and subsequent surgeries in 2022 and 2023.
Alesevic's allegations include an incident in May 2022 when she complained about shift changes that disproportionately affected her while other employees were allowed to maintain their preferred schedules. She reported this issue along with verbal abuse from a manager named Crystal—who allegedly called her derogatory names—to Walmart’s human resources department through its Open Door Policy. However, she asserts that no corrective action was taken by the company.
The situation allegedly escalated when Alesevic went on medical leave for surgery in September 2022 and was terminated without notice by January 29, 2023. She discovered her dismissal only upon trying to update Walmart about her medical status in February 2023. The complaint argues that this termination was retaliatory and motivated by discriminatory biases against Alesevic's age, race, national origin, religion, disability status, and for reporting workplace discrimination.
Alesevic is seeking both legal and equitable relief from the court including compensation for lost wages and benefits as well as damages for emotional distress caused by Walmart’s actions. The suit demands punitive damages to deter future discriminatory practices by the corporation along with coverage of attorney fees and court costs.
Representing Halida Alesevic is attorney Anthony J. Peraica from Anthony J. Peraica & Associates based in Chicago. The case is assigned Case No. 24-CV-11193 in front of the Northern District of Illinois Eastern Division court.