A former employee has taken a major food company to court over allegations of sex-based discrimination. On November 19, 2024, Tracy Panou filed a lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois against Kraft Heinz Foods Company, LLC. The complaint accuses the company of discriminatory practices leading to her wrongful termination.
According to the complaint, Tracy Panou was employed by Kraft Heinz as a Senior National Account Manager from November 2013 until her termination on September 4, 2024. Panou alleges that after a company reorganization in April 2024 assigned her a new male manager, she experienced differential treatment compared to her male colleagues. The lawsuit claims this treatment culminated in her dismissal under pretextual reasons related to client loss and alleged poor performance. Notably, Panou contends that the client’s decision to withdraw their business occurred before she assumed her new role and was unrelated to her performance.
Panou's complaint highlights that while she was terminated for supposed performance issues, her male counterpart with documented performance problems was placed on a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) instead of being dismissed. This discrepancy forms part of Panou's argument that Kraft Heinz engaged in discriminatory practices favoring male employees over female ones. "Defendant’s purported reason for termination was pretext for discrimination," asserts the complaint.
The lawsuit invokes Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits employment discrimination based on sex. It argues that Kraft Heinz violated these provisions by treating Panou less favorably than similarly situated male employees and terminating her employment due to her gender. The plaintiff is seeking various forms of relief from the court including back pay and benefits, compensatory damages for emotional distress, punitive damages, and attorney’s fees.
Representing Tracy Panou is Nathan C. Volheim from Sulaiman Law Group Ltd. in this case marked as 1:24-cv-11875.