CHARLESTON — A woman claims she faced a hostile work environment while working for Mardi Gras Casino and Resort and was fired in retaliation for reporting the issue to the West Virginia Human Rights Commission.
Nia Pholwattana, who is biracial, filed a complaint in Kanawha Circuit Court against Racing Corporation and Tri-State Concessions Inc., alleging violation of the West Virginia Human Rights Act.
Pholwattana began working for the defendants as a cocktail server on April 18, 2017. She alleges she was given "less desirable shifts" where she earned less money than white employees, written up for alleged tardiness and eventually fired for her reporting of a hostile work environment. Pholwattana was issued a right to sue by the West Virginia Human Rights Commission on Sept. 25, 2019.
Pholwattana seeks monetary relief, trial by jury, punitive damages, interest and all other proper relief. She is represented by Hoyt Glazer of The Law Office of Hoyt Glazer PLLC in Huntington. The case has been assigned to Judge Charles King.
Kanawha Circuit Court case number 19-C-1204