Lavonte Harvey has filed a lawsuit against his former employer, alleging discrimination and harassment based on his sexual orientation. The complaint was lodged in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois on February 17, 2025, against Silver Star Protection Group, LLC. Harvey's allegations are rooted in violations of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, specifically Title VII and Section 1981, which protect employees from discrimination based on race and sexual orientation.
According to the complaint, Lavonte Harvey began working for Silver Star Protection Group as a supervisor in October 2024 and was promoted to Regional Manager by late 2024. Despite his promotion, Harvey claims he faced significant resistance from male employees regarding new company policies he was tasked with implementing. This pushback allegedly escalated into a hostile work environment centered around his sexual orientation. On January 1, 2025, a scheduling miscommunication occurred with a client that had informed Harvey they would be closed but later required coverage. Although the client acknowledged their mistake and took responsibility, this incident was cited as part of the reason for Harvey's termination on January 28, 2025.
Harvey alleges that during a meeting with Director of Operations Laverne Churchill and HR representative Joseph Calibri on January 3, 2025, Churchill inappropriately linked the resistance from male employees to Harvey's sexuality without any prior discussion about it at work. Despite expressing discomfort over this assumption and its mention to other employees, no action was taken by Churchill or Calibri to address his concerns. Moreover, Harvey's scheduled performance review was postponed without explanation until April 2025—another point he raises as evidence of discrimination.
The lawsuit accuses Silver Star Protection Group of unlawful termination due to sexual orientation-based discrimination and retaliation for opposing such treatment. Harvey argues that he met or exceeded performance expectations throughout his employment but was nonetheless targeted because of his sexuality. He seeks relief through back pay with interest, compensatory and punitive damages, attorneys' fees and costs, pre-judgment interest if applicable, and any other relief deemed just by the court.
Representing Lavonte Harvey is attorney Chad W. Eisenback from Sulaiman Law Group Ltd., while the case will be heard under Case ID: 1:25-cv-01626 in front of judges yet to be named.