A former employee of a major university has filed a lawsuit alleging sexual harassment and retaliation, raising serious questions about workplace conduct and institutional response. Kentrayle Adams filed the complaint on February 28, 2025, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois against the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois, University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), University of Illinois at Chicago Health, and Lakisha Stampley.
According to Adams' complaint, he was subjected to continuous sexual harassment by Lakisha Stampley, an employee at UIC where Adams worked since 2017. The alleged harassment began in December 2022 when Adams transitioned to a new role as a Behavioral Interventionist. The lawsuit details how Stampley made unwelcome advances towards Adams, including proposing an extramarital affair in January 2023. Despite his clear rejections, Stampley continued her pursuit through text messages expressing her feelings and even attempting to align their work schedules. When Adams reported these incidents to UIC's Office of Access and Equity (OAE) in April 2023, he claims that no action was taken for months. This lack of response allegedly allowed the harassment to persist until August 2023.
The complaint further accuses UIC of retaliating against Adams after he lodged his complaints. On September 25, 2023, Adams was informed by Nic Krasucki, Director of Human Resources at UIC, that he would be restricted from working in certain areas due to a supposed complaint by Stampley—a claim that later proved false as no such complaint or investigation existed. These actions have led Adams to suffer from emotional distress and other damages.
Adams is seeking compensatory damages for mental anguish and loss of enjoyment of life among other things. He argues that the defendants violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Illinois Human Rights Act by failing to address his complaints adequately and protect him from harassment. The lawsuit demands judgments against both UIC and Stampley for their roles in this alleged misconduct.
Representing Kentrayle Adams is attorney Dan Walker from Hinsdale, IL. The case is being presided over by Judge Amrith Kaur Aakre under Case ID: 1:25-cv-02169.