A former employee has filed a lawsuit alleging racial discrimination and retaliation against her previous employer, a dental practice. Grace Watson initiated the complaint on December 30, 2024, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois against VVN Dental, P.C.
The case centers around allegations that Watson, an African American woman employed as a dental assistant at VVN Dental from March to August 2024, was subjected to discriminatory practices based on her race. Watson claims she faced different terms and conditions of employment compared to her non-African American colleagues. She alleges that this created a hostile work environment in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Section 1981. According to the complaint, issues began when Watson reported that she was unable to start work on time due to the office not being opened by Jocelyn, a lead dental assistant who is Hispanic. Despite notifying management about this recurring issue, no action was taken. On August 9, 2024, Watson was terminated for tardiness—a consequence she attributes solely to Jocelyn's failure to open the office doors on time.
Watson asserts that her termination was racially motivated and retaliatory because another African American employee faced similar reprimands while Hispanic employees did not face any consequences for similar tardiness. The complaint further states that Watson engaged in protected activity by reporting these incidents as race-based discrimination to VVN Dental’s HR department but received no investigation or remedial action from the company.
In her lawsuit, Watson seeks several forms of relief including back pay with interest, compensatory and punitive damages, reasonable attorney fees and costs, pre-judgment interest if applicable, and any other relief deemed just by the court. She also demands a jury trial for all issues presented in her case.
Representing Grace Watson is Alexander J. Taylor from Sulaiman Law Group Ltd., while Miguel Navarro is mentioned as one of the individuals involved in her termination process at VVN Dental. The case has been filed under Case ID: 1:24-cv-13356.