BECKLEY — A transgender woman accuses a convenience store chain of discrimination after firing her.
Shakira Lariah Washington filed a complaint in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia against U Save Food Stores Inc. and its officers Rachel Gohil, D.A. Gohil and Pradip Gohil,
According to the complaint, the convenience store fired Washington on her third day after discovering her driver's license listed her as a male. The defendants gave a pretextual reason for firing Washington in order to avoid litigation over discriminating against her gender identity, the complaint states.
The plaintiff requests a trial by jury and seeks lost wages and benefits, damages for emotional distress, humiliation and mental anguish. Plaintiff further seeks for punitive damages, attorneys’ fees and costs. She is represented by Maria W. Hughes and Mark Goldner of Hughes & Goldner PLLC in Charleston, WV.
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia Case number 2:18-cv-01153