CHARLESTON — A man is suing the Lynd Company alleging he was harassed because he is Black.
Crystal Lewis was also named as a defendant in the suit.
Michael Turnquest was repeatedly sexually harassed and discriminated against because of his race by Lewis, who was his supervisor, according to a complaint filed in Kanawha Circuit Court.
Turnquest claims he attempted to report the numerous unlawful employment practices that he suffered to the Human Resources Department several times, but his pleas went unanswered.
"After having to continue to work around his harassers, realizing there was no place for him as a Black man in Defendant's company, and realizing his supervisor's sexual harassment would likely continue, Mr. Turnquest had no choice but to leave his job," the complaint states.
Turnquest claims he was employed by the defendants from April 8, 2021, until May 26, 2021. He claims while he was there he performed his job adequately and met the defendants' expectations.
Turnquest claims Lewis made sexual comments about his fiancée and he was afraid to say anything at first for fear of retaliation, as he had heard in the past that other employees had been retaliated against.
The employee base at Lynd was predominantly white and Lewis made inappropriate racial comments about Turnquest in front of him, according to the suit.
Turnquest claims the work environment was hostile, and he says he pled with the Human Resources Department. But he says his complaints fell on deaf ears, and he finally felt that no job was worth the disrespect and quit.
Turnquest claims the defendants violated the West Virginia Human Rights Act and caused him a whole host of issues, including emotional distress.
Turnquest is seeking compensatory damages. He is represented by Rodney A. Smith and M. Alex Urban of Rod Smith Law in Charleston.
The case is assigned to Circuit Judge Kenneth Ballard.
Kanawha Circuit Court case number: 22:C-312
