02/16/2022

Attorney Ben Crump Announces ANOTHER Lawsuit Against State Farm on Behalf of Employee Who Faced Discrimination and Retaliation

An Illinois Department of Human Rights investigation concluded that because of her race, Shashi Mandhyan was retaliated against and harassed by State Farm, received negative performance evaluations, and was ultimately terminated back in 2018. Ms. Mandhyan’s suit is the second lawsuit the legal team has filed on behalf of former State Farm employees alleging discrimination and retaliation.

Mandhyan said co-workers mocked her accent and called her ‘sushi’. She says co-workers also called Indian people ‘dirty’ and ‘strange’ because they wear a red dot on their forehead.

“Mistreatment of minorities is growing, thriving, and rampant practice at State Farm,” Mandhyan said.

Her attorney, Ben Crump, says he represents over 150 current and former State Farm employees who allege wide-spread racial discrimination at the insurance company.

“State Farm, you keep trying to talk about some policy you have, but the discrimination keeps happening and it’s harming real people,” Crump said.

State Farm denied all allegations releasing this statement “State Farm has long been committed to a diverse and inclusive environment, where all of our associates and customers are treated with respect and dignity, and where differences are valued. These allegations do not reflect the State Farm culture.”

This might be a little more believable if State Farm wasn’t facing another lawsuit for the same thing.

Last December, former State Farm employee and Bloomington-Normal NAACP Vice President Dr. Carla Campbell-Jackson also filed a racial discrimination suit against the insurance behemoth.

According to Dr. Campbell-Jackson, when working for State Farm in 2015, “she noticed a trend with minority group members’ claims being systematically and illegally denied by State Farm.” She claims when she notified her superiors about this, she was either ignored or faced hostility.

In 2016, Dr. Campbell-Jackson was terminated. In a public statement regarding Campbell-Jackson’s termination, State Farm said:

Ms. Campbell-Jackson was terminated from State Farm because she shared sensitive, confidential personal customer and employee information outside of our organization; a clear policy and code of conduct violation by a management level employee. After becoming aware of the situation, State Farm took quick action to follow breach protocols and to secure the sensitive information.

What State Farm failed to mention is the information she shared was an employee e-mail containing derogatory comments against African-Americans, Hispanics, and Muslims.

Furthermore, State Farm was so confident they fired Dr. Campbell-Jackson for just cause that they offered her over $175,000 in hush money. She did not accept.

“We shall remain resolute, unmovable, and steadfast in our pursuit of eliminating racism, discrimination, and retaliation,” Campbell-Jackson said.

She later filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). The EEOC ultimately sided with Campbell-Jackson. State Farm was ordered to pay $500,000 in damages. EEOC also issued a Right-to-Sue letter, which led to Campbell-Jackson’s current lawsuit.