UPS files notice of removal for sexual discrimination suit

MORGANTOWN -- United Parcel Service and an employee are seeking a removal to federal court for a lawsuit following a sexual discrimination suit.

Amanda Meeks of Morgantown filed a lawsuit on June 13 after her dismissal from UPS where she had worked for more than eight years. John Grimes, a resident of Eighty-Four, Pa., was her direct supervisor.

Meeks was promoted several times until she was one of three full-time supervisors below Grime, who was the Fairmont center manager. The other two supervisors were male.

According to her suit, Grimes degraded, insulted, intimidated, and ridiculed Meeks every single day and purposefully sought to humiliate and embarrass her in front of the other male supervisors.

He called her ignorant and an idiot and required her to take notes in meetings and read them back to him.

Filed by Kelly Reed and Traci Cook of the Morgantown firm of Reed Kimble, the suit states that Meeks contacted the appropriate parties in regards to Grimes' behavior, including the division manager, the Clarksburg facilities manager, and the human resources department at United Parcel Service, Inc.

Finally, after nothing was done to Grimes, he and Meeks had a fight, and Meeks walked out to her car and cried. She was dismissed a week later and told that her claims were basically unsubstantiated -- "UPS was not for everyone" -- and that leaving was her best option.

Meeks was seeking a trial by jury to award punitive and compensatory damages for last wages, benefits, mental suffering, embarrassment, anguish, liquidated and unliquidated damages, and court costs.

The removal was filed July 11 by Kathy Condo and David McAllister of the Pittsburgh firm of Reed Smith, because of the diversity of citizenship, the amount in controversy, and the claim for punitive damages.

Condo and McAllister believe these total well over the $75,000 limit as Meeks, without benefits, made $71,000 last year.