Woman Awarded $20.5M in Racial Discrimination Lawsuit Against State College Area Business
Local News
By Geoff Rushton — April 28, 2024 — 5:00 am
A federal jury this month awarded $20.5 million to a former employee of a home health care service’s State College area location after finding the business racially discriminated against her.
Patricia Holmes's Story
Patricia Holmes filed the lawsuit against Lincare subsidiary American HomePatient in 2021, alleging that she was subjected to repeated racial harassment by a manager and another employee during her time as a customer service representative at the business’s 2437 Commercial Boulevard location in College Township.
Holmes was the only Black employee at the facility during her tenure from October 2019 to July 2020, when she said the racial animosity became so hostile that she was concerned for her safety and resigned.
- A supervisor and a co-worker used racial slurs, including the N-word, in conversations with her.
- Just two days after Holmes started working, co-worker Beverly Hibbert mentioned that her grandchild is an “Oreo baby” as a defense for using the N-word.
- Later that month, Holmes was fitted by a respiratory therapist for an N-95 mask, a process that involved placing a white hood over her head. Manager Timothy McCoy said it was "standard procedure."