A black woman who worked nights and weekends at Family Dollar as a second job said a white colleague made derogatory comments about her race and threatened her, prompting her to request a transfer.
She was fired instead, according to federal court filings.
The former employee is accusing Family Dollar of discriminating against her because she reported the harassment in violation of the Civil Rights Act.
A lawyer for the woman did not respond to the request for comment.
The woman works at a mental health facility during the week as an intake assistant. She was an assistant manager at a Family Dollar store in Durham.
The woman said that she was hostile towards the man from the beginning.
He told her to hurry up and threatened that something bad would happen if she didn't close the store quickly. The woman asked her manager to work with someone else because she was uncomfortable working with him.
Her lawyer said that her manager ignored the request.
The woman asked her colleague why he was so aggressive.
She asked if it was because she was black or because she was a woman. It is because I am Black, isn't it?
He reportedly replied that he didn't have to say it. You said it for me.
A break-in took place at the store about six months after the woman started working there. The colleague accused of harassing her demanded to know where she was.
She asked why he was asking, and he responded that it was someone Black who robbed the store, according to the lawsuit.
Someone from a different store took over for the regular manager. The woman had worked past the end of her shift and asked the manager if she could leave.
The manager responded to the complaint by saying, "What the hell is your problem?"
The colleague ran from his register, screaming, " leave her the f--- alone, you Black b---."
The lawsuit states that the woman felt unsafe until two customers in the store came and reassured her that they wouldn't let her near them.
Her lawyer said that the colleague reported her for causing problems.
The woman called Family Dollar's district manager and requested a transfer after months of being harassed and made derogatory comments. He agreed.
The woman was asked to resign by her regular manager, who was angry that she went over her head with upper management.
The district manager was handling the situation and the woman agreed to turn in her keys to the store. She called Human Resources to inquire about the transfer, but was told it was no longer an option because she didn't accept the transfer offer in time.
Human Resources told the woman that the district manager gave her the option to transfer to six different stores.
The HR representative accused the woman of lying when she said the district manager had not communicated any options to her.
According to the lawsuit, the expired transfer offer was a cover-up for the real reason Family Dollar fired the woman, which her attorney said was motivated by race.
The woman is asking for more than $100,000 in damages, as well as attorneys' fees, to cover the cost of the litigation.
Family Dollar has not responded to the complaint.
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