UNC Charlotte employee complained about discrimination. Then, she was fired, suit says
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A former UNC Charlotte employee is suing the school for alleged discrimination, claiming she was fired after requesting disability accommodations and reporting sexual harassment.
Christine Pirotin worked as a health and safety coordinator in the school’s Environmental Health and Safety Department. She was fired in February following multiple clashes with a supervisor over accommodations she requested as a result of an auto-immune disease, according to the federal lawsuit filed last week in North Carolina’s Western District.
The lawsuit alleges the university violated the Civil Rights Act and Americans with Disabilities Act. The former employee seeks back pay, lost benefits, attorneys’ fees and payment to make up for emotional, physical and/or mental damages.
Pirotin was diagnosed with lupus, an autoimmune disorder, in 2020. As a result, she suffers from a variety of symptoms, including mobility issues, fatigue, joint pains, flareups, sun sensitivity and occasional brain fog, according to the lawsuit. She requested two weekly vacuum cleanings of her office at the university, in order to minimize dust, which can be a trigger for her symptoms, as well as an additional remote workday each week, according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit alleges her supervisor, Darius Griffin, complained about her request, saying she “disrupted the office” with her complaining and that her accommodations would cause other employees to want the same thing. The lawsuit alleges Griffin continued to “harass” Pirotin about her disability and created a “hostile work environment.”
It also alleges the supervisor made comments about Pirotin’s dress that she deemed inappropriate and sexual in nature, which she reported to the university prior to being terminated.
Pirotin made multiple reports to university officials and contacted the University Ombuds Office and employee relations, but the university refused to “take necessary and proper corrective measures,” the lawsuit says.
Pirotin was fired on Feb. 15, while out on medical leave.
A spokesperson from UNC Charlotte declined to comment, saying the school cannot comment on pending litigation.
While employed by the university, Pirotin filed two complaints with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in early 2024, both of which were dismissed.
“I don’t make anything of (the dismissals),” Sunny Panyanouvong-Rubeck, Pirotin’s attorney, told The Charlotte Observer. “The EEOC is very busy, and in their dismissals in this case, they made it clear they weren’t making any kind of determination on the merit of the complaints.”
