The Hi-Desert Water District has recently been served with a lawsuit for failure to prevent discrimination and harassment in the workplace. Reporter Ernest Figueroa outlines the details…
On September 26 former Hi-Desert Water District employee Mary Phelps filed a lawsuit in Superior Court against the Hi-Desert Water District, and supervisor and human resource representatives for nine workplace violations including: age discrimination, disability discrimination, and unlawful harassment. After recovering from neck surgery Phelps, a 27-year employee of the water district, felt attempts were made to forcibly cause her early retirement including the filing of a negative but false employee review. She alleges supervisors and human resource representatives behaved maliciously and oppressively in a conscious disregard of workplace rights. Due to these violations Phelps feels she has suffered substantial loss of earnings and employee benefits, and continues to suffer emotional distress and humiliation. She is seeking financial damages and court costs as well reinstatement to a comparable position. A trial has been set for March of next year.
