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Woman says she was fired due to sexual orientation
Woman says she was fired due to sexual orientation
Erin Beck , Staff Writer January 17, 2017
A woman who says that a Huntington employer harassed her and fired her after finding out her sexual orientation has retained a lawyer and is asking to be reinstated.
Fairness West Virginia, an LGBT rights advocacy organization, and Saad Dixon Law Offices, a Huntington-based firm, announced through a Facebook Live video Tuesday afternoon that Abraham Saad, an employment law attorney, was sending a letter to Special Metals Corp. in Huntington, demanding that Whittney Handley, a former employee, be reinstated and be provided back pay.
The letter states that Handley, who was a crane operator and laborer for Special Metals, began working for the company in January of 2016, and that Dan Noble became her supervisor in March. ... “Mr. Noble discriminated against Ms. Handley because she is a lesbian and a woman” in violation of a Huntington city ordinance, the letter states. “He subjected her to a hostile work environment with his severe and pervasive comments. He retaliated against her because of who she is.”
Handley said during the video she was two weeks away from being eligible to join the union when Noble fired her at about 9:30 p.m. on June 9, 2016, a few hours after she had started her shift. She said she had been working overtime in order to get enough hours to join the union.
Erin Beck , Staff Writer January 17, 2017
A woman who says that a Huntington employer harassed her and fired her after finding out her sexual orientation has retained a lawyer and is asking to be reinstated.
Fairness West Virginia, an LGBT rights advocacy organization, and Saad Dixon Law Offices, a Huntington-based firm, announced through a Facebook Live video Tuesday afternoon that Abraham Saad, an employment law attorney, was sending a letter to Special Metals Corp. in Huntington, demanding that Whittney Handley, a former employee, be reinstated and be provided back pay.
The letter states that Handley, who was a crane operator and laborer for Special Metals, began working for the company in January of 2016, and that Dan Noble became her supervisor in March. ... “Mr. Noble discriminated against Ms. Handley because she is a lesbian and a woman” in violation of a Huntington city ordinance, the letter states. “He subjected her to a hostile work environment with his severe and pervasive comments. He retaliated against her because of who she is.”
Handley said during the video she was two weeks away from being eligible to join the union when Noble fired her at about 9:30 p.m. on June 9, 2016, a few hours after she had started her shift. She said she had been working overtime in order to get enough hours to join the union.
