In a significant legal battle, a former employee has filed a lawsuit against her previous employer, alleging multiple counts of discrimination and harassment. Erica Perez lodged the complaint on March 27, 2025, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois against SBO MSO, LLC, operating as Suburban Orthopaedics. The case brings to light serious allegations of race-based and sex-based discrimination, sexual harassment, and retaliation under the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
The plaintiff, Erica Perez, claims that during her tenure at Suburban Orthopaedics as a Revenue Cycle Specialist from July 2023 until November 2023, she faced discriminatory practices that violated both Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and Section 1981. Perez alleges that she was subjected to a hostile work environment due to her race (African American) and sex (female). According to the complaint, upon transferring to the Schaumburg office in October 2023, she was warned by her supervisor Irene Krieter to "keep [her] voice down" when the CEO Bill Moore was present—an instruction not given to non-African American colleagues. This comment perpetuated racial stereotypes about African American women being loud or angry.
The situation reportedly escalated with the arrival of Brian Givens in mid-November 2023. Givens allegedly subjected Perez to severe sexual harassment by making inappropriate comments such as suggesting she "must be a quiet lover." Despite raising these issues with her supervisor Krieter and requesting an investigation into Givens' conduct, Perez claims that no meaningful action was taken by Suburban Orthopaedics. Instead of addressing her complaints or protecting her from further harassment, Perez was sent home early and continued working alongside Givens without any remedial measures being implemented.
Perez's complaint outlines how these experiences culminated in what she describes as constructive discharge on November 27, 2023. She asserts that due to ongoing discrimination and retaliation for reporting unlawful behavior, continuing employment became untenable. Her lawsuit seeks various forms of relief including back pay, compensatory damages for emotional distress and humiliation suffered due to discriminatory practices at Suburban Orthopaedics.
Representing Erica Perez are attorneys Nathan C. Volheim and Sophia Steere from Sulaiman Law Group Ltd., based in Lombard, Illinois. The case is identified under Case ID: 1:25-cv-03255 with jurisdiction invoked pursuant to federal civil rights statutes aimed at eradicating workplace discrimination.