Tonya Battle, an African-American nurse, filed a lawsuit against Hurley Medical Center in Michigan for preventing her from caring for an infant patient because of her skin color.
According to the Huffington Post, the complaint states the newborn’s father pulled up his sleeve, showing Battle’s supervisor “a swastika of some kind.” He then, allegedly, asked that no black people be involved in his child’s care.
Battle was relieved of caring for the infant. Her supervisor later explained that she was no longer allowed to care for the child at the request of the parents. She returned to work the next day to find a note attached to the child’s file that read: “No African American nurse to take care of baby.”
According to court documents obtained by WNEM TV 5: “[Battle] was shocked, offended and in disbelief that she was so egregiously discriminated against based on her race and re-assigned.”
Despite Hurley Medical’s attorneys later objecting to the decision, the hospital is believed to have granted the parent’s request for over a month.
Battle filed a complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. She is now seeking compensation for emotional distress and harm to her reputation.
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