CHARLESTON – A Kanawha County woman says she was a victim of racial discrimination and harassment while working at Sam’s Club.
Leonila Hamrick filed her pro se complaint September 29 in Kanawha Circuit Court against Sam’s East doing business as Sam’s Club.
According to the complaint, Hamrick says she was harassed by the company and by other employees because she is a Filipina.
“I was verbally abused by the management and some employees of the defendant because I am a Filipina,” she wrote in the complaint. “The defendant created and allowed to exist a hostile work place for Filipinas where I was made fun of and harassed by other employees.
“The defendant wrongfully discriminated against me because I am a Filipina and treated me differently and worse than it treated the non-Filipina employees and wrongfully disciplined me because I am a Filipina.”
Hamrick also says she was wrongfully terminated because she is a Filipina. She also notes that she was forced to work in close proximity to plants of which the defendant knew she was allergic.
She accuses the defendants of violating the West Virginia Human Rights Act.
In addition to the monetary damages, she says she has suffered depression, stress and other illnesses.
Hamrick seeks compensatory damages.
Kanawha Circuit Court case number 23-C-872