Gelasia Croom has filed a lawsuit against her former employer, Prevent Child Abuse America, alleging racial discrimination and retaliation. The complaint was submitted on February 6, 2025, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Croom claims that she faced unlawful treatment due to her race and suffered retaliatory actions after opposing such conduct.
The case details a series of alleged discriminatory acts against Croom during her tenure as Chief Communications Officer at Prevent Child Abuse America, beginning in April 2022 until her termination in March 2024. Despite receiving favorable performance reviews and commendations from her supervisors, Croom alleges she was demoted without cause and ultimately fired under false pretenses. She asserts that the organization showed a preference for white employees and marginalized her within the workplace. Notably, Croom recounts an incident at a September 2023 conference where racially insensitive remarks were made by a colleague, which she protested against.
Croom further claims that after reporting these issues to management, she faced retaliation culminating in her dismissal. She argues that the reasons given for her termination were pretextual and timed suspiciously close to her complaints about racial discrimination. Her lawsuit seeks damages for lost wages, emotional distress, damage to reputation, and punitive damages among other reliefs.
Representing Croom are attorneys Erika Pedersen and Jill Weinstein from Pedersen & Weinstein LLP. The case is being presided over by an unnamed judge under Case ID 1:25-cv-01304.