A former high-ranking employee has filed a lawsuit against her previous employer, alleging retaliation after reporting sexual harassment. On December 18, 2024, Karen Schweickart filed a civil complaint in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois against Emburse, Inc., accusing the company of violating Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and the Illinois Human Rights Act.
The complaint outlines a series of events beginning with Schweickart's employment at Emburse as Vice President/Associate General Counsel starting May 16, 2022. She reported directly to Christian Na, Chief Legal Officer at Emburse. Throughout her tenure, Schweickart claims she met or exceeded performance expectations and received full merit bonuses each quarter. However, tensions arose when Diana Lai, senior corporate counsel at Emburse, confided in Schweickart about uncomfortable interactions with Na. Lai described incidents where Na insisted on unnecessary business trips and engaged in inappropriate conversations outside work hours.
Schweickart felt obligated to report these allegations to senior management as per company policy. On September 24, 2023, she informed Emburse’s top executives about Na's conduct. Subsequently, an investigation was launched by Emburse's human resources department and external investigators. Despite this action, on November 9, 2023, Schweickart was informed that her employment would be terminated due to an alleged poor working relationship with Na.
Schweickart believes her termination was retaliatory for reporting suspected sexual harassment. Her complaint states that no disciplinary actions were taken against her prior to this incident and argues there is a causal connection between her report and subsequent job loss. The lawsuit seeks legal and equitable relief including lost wages and benefits, front pay, economic damages, compensatory damages for emotional distress, punitive damages for malicious conduct by Emburse, attorney’s fees and costs.
Represented by attorney Thalia Pacheco from Workplace Law Partners P.C., Schweickart demands a jury trial to address these grievances. The case is identified under Case No: 1:24-cv-13002 but does not list specific judges presiding over it.