In a dramatic legal confrontation, a former employee of the Cicero Public Library has filed a lawsuit alleging wrongful termination and retaliation after reporting financial misconduct and discrimination within the institution. The complaint was lodged by Colleen Gnat-Hernandez in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois, on April 7, 2025, against her former employer, Cicero Public Library, along with its Director Sandra Tomschin and Trustee Ismael Vargas.
Colleen Gnat-Hernandez's lawsuit outlines a series of troubling events during her tenure at the library, where she served for 35 years as the Department Head of Youth Services. The complaint details allegations against Director Sandra Tomschin for misappropriating funds from Gnat-Hernandez's department for personal use and engaging in timeclock fraud. When Gnat-Hernandez confronted Tomschin about these irregularities in February 2023, she was met with resistance and subsequently reported these issues to Trustee Ismael Vargas. Despite raising concerns about unlawful conduct that put both the library and the citizens of Cicero at risk, it is alleged that Vargas relayed these complaints back to Tomschin rather than addressing them appropriately.
The plaintiff claims that her whistleblowing led to retaliatory actions culminating in her termination on October 16, 2023. The purported reason given for her dismissal was accessing an unauthorized area—a storage closet she had used for decades—an explanation she describes as pretextual. Furthermore, Gnat-Hernandez recounts an incident involving another employee, Marla Gallardo, who faced discrimination due to her disability. Gnat-Hernandez asserts that Tomschin referred to Gallardo using derogatory terms related to her age and disabilities.
The lawsuit accuses the defendants of violating federally protected rights under Section 1983 and retaliating against Gnat-Hernandez in violation of the Illinois Human Rights Act. It alleges that both Tomschin and Vargas acted under color of state law with final policymaking authority when they conspired to terminate her employment unlawfully. The plaintiff contends that their actions were motivated by animus towards her protected activities under the First Amendment.
Gnat-Hernandez seeks various forms of relief from the court: an order declaring violations of her rights under both federal and state laws; training for managers on retaliation; adoption of policies preventing future violations; notification to employees about these violations; monetary compensation including lost wages and punitive damages; as well as attorney fees and costs.
Representing Colleen Gnat-Hernandez is S. Cody Reinberg from HKM Employment Attorneys LLP based in St. Louis, Missouri. The case is presided over by Judge Mariyana T. Spyropoulos under Case No. 2025L004749.