LOS ANGELES (CNS) – A case of three former workers and one current employee of the Antelope Valley Medical Center who allege they were subjected to harassing, retaliatory and discriminatory conduct because they are Black should be managed and tried in Lancaster and not downtown Los Angeles, hospital attorneys argue in new court papers.
In the Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit, plaintiffs David Angoma, Jeanne Muhirwa, Charlene Lepe and Zipporah Wilson all contend they were denied promotions and asked insensitive questions. All worked in the behavioral health unit and all are nurses except for Lepe, who was an AVMC secretary for 24 years.
The lawsuit was filed in the downtown Los Angeles courthouse last Aug. 20, but hospital lawyers state in court papers filed April 3 with Judge Cherol J. Nellon, in advance of an April 30 hearing, that the proper move is to bring the case to the Antelope Valley Courthouse nearly 70 miles away.
“Justice is best served by transferring this matter to the courthouse located in the same city as the hospital where the allegations contained within the complaint occurred and where the witnesses and evidence are located,” according to the defense attorneys’ pleadings.
The plaintiffs worked at AVHD in Lancaster; their allegations involved actions while they were employed there and the majority of the witnesses live in the area, the medical center lawyers further state in their court papers.
“There is nothing to suggest that the venue change would not promote convenience or the ends of justice and it is well within the court’s authority to transfer the action,” the defense attorneys contend in their pleadings.
Only Muhirwa continues working at AVMC. Angoma and Wilson contend they were forced to resign because of the work conditions, while Lepe maintains she was terminated.
According to the suit, in late 2022, AVMC hired a new management team through a medical staffing agency, ostensibly to improve the behavioral health unit. Almost immediately, the new white nursing director made “blatant, offensive, harassing and discriminatory” remarks against Black employees, including telling one that her hair “took a lot of grease” to style, the suit alleges.
The director also told Wilson that her accent was hard to understand and asked her if she liked Black music, the suit states.
The director asked Angoma, “How long have you been in this country?” and spoke to him in a hostile and demeaning way, according to the suit, which also alleges she told Black employees, “I don’t care what you think, just do what I say.”
In July 2024, Wilson was denied a charge nurse position that was given to a less qualified white candidate, the suit alleges.
After Muhirwa complained about the alleged disparate treatment to human resources in March 2023, no corrective steps were taken and she was instead placed on unpaid leave later that month for alleged insubordination, the suit states.
In February 2023, Lepe provided a statement to management about the alleged harassment she and other Black workers were experiencing, and she was terminated 10 months later, according to the suit.
Prior to her termination, Lepe took three medical leaves, two for surgeries, according to the suit, which further states she took a separate leave to deal with the emotional distress she contends she suffered at work.
Angoma also protested the alleged disparate treatment of Black employees, but the lawsuit does not indicate any backlash he suffered.
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