(WXYZ) — A Detroit woman said she was fired from the Great Lakes Water Authority after she got breast reduction surgery to stop harassment, a new lawsuit claims.
According to the lawsuit, the woman began working at the GLWA around Jan. 1, 2016, and had previously worked for the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department for 15 years.
During her employment at GLWA, she claims she was berated, mocked and made fun of due to the size of her breasts, told they were too large and given uniform violations.
According to the lawsuit, "Plaintiff's breasts became a daily topic of conversation for her co-workers and supervisors and she was teased, made fun of and humiliated due to her breasts." The lawsuit also claims she was told she needed a more supportive bra, accused of not wearing one.
The lawsuit said that she complained about it to upper management who didn't do anything, saying they actually participated in the harassment, and that her supervisors began retaliating against her and punishing her when she complained.
According to the lawsuit, she had breast reduction surgery in November 2017 after not being able to tolerate the harassment anymore, but her supervisor continued retaliating by demanding she return to work on Nov. 15, 2017, 10 days after her surgery while she was on FMLA.
"Plaintiff returned to work the following day and she was terminated by her supervisor in retaliation for complaining about sex and gender harassment and discrimination," the lawsuit reads.
The woman is asking for a judgment in an amount in excess of $75,000, plus damages.
We reached out to the Great Lakes Water Authority for a statement, but they do not comment on pending litigation.
