Woman Sues Union Pacific for Discrimination

Contact a Discrimination lawyer

or

April 14th, 2008

"Woman Claims Gender, Race and Physical Disability Lawsuit"

A black woman who was fired from Union Pacific railroad after nearly eight years of employment has filed a lawsuit claiming the company discriminated against her because of her gender, race and physical disability.

Kimberly Norman worked as a train dispatcher from 1998 to 2006. She was first put on unpaid leave in May 2004 after being hospitalized for irritable bowel syndrome — a condition she developed following two difficult pregnancies.

The Lawsuit

According to her federal lawsuit, the company required her to undergo an independent medical assessment that actually turned out to be a mental evaluation. She was given a mental health diagnosis and her disability benefits were terminated, the lawsuit said.

“It is our belief that Union Pacific used a medical examiner to claim that she had a mental health diagnosis that did not exist. What she had was purely physical,” said Craig Howell, Norman’s attorney.

The federal Equal Opportunity Commission gave Kimberly Normal the green light to sue the rail company in December after determining that Union Pacific had no reason to fire her.

Norman is seeking unspecified damages for benefits and lost wages. She is also seeking punitive damages.

(Source: CNN Money)

Victim of discrimination? Contact us today to learn more about your legal rights.