Truly Nolen is a pest extermination business founded in Florida with locations all over the country. A former employee of the office in Broward County has filed a lawsuit against the company alleging that she received discriminatory treatment from superiors on the basis of her race, gender and disability status. She also alleges sexual harassment by male co-workers and implies the company fired her in retaliation for complaining about the treatment she allegedly received.
The former employee, who is black, claims that her manager required her to keep her camera running in her sales vehicle at all times, an imposition she alleges was racially motivated. She also claims that the manager denied her reasonable accommodations for her disability and assigned her work as a technician, for less pay than her male counterparts received, despite hiring her as a sales associate due to his reported discomfort at giving a technician position to a woman.
The lawsuit also alleges that male co-workers made inappropriate, sexually charged comments about her appearance, particularly in regard to the size of her breasts. One co-worker reportedly told her that he could not concentrate on his work unless she wore a sports bra.
The attorney representing the former employee says that the company fired her in March 2018 due to not meeting sales goals, pointing out that this occurred two weeks after she made a complaint about the treatment she allegedly received.
The company has yet to file a response in court, and a representative declined to comment on litigation that is still pending. Owners of businesses, large or small, may find it helpful to hire an attorney to represent them in the event that current or former employees bring legal action against them for harassment or discrimination.