A Houston Target employee is suing the corporation, alleging he has been the focus of constant harassment due to his race and disabilities.
James Patrick Stoughton filed suit July 23 in the Houston Division of the Southern District of Texas against Target Corporation.
According to the suit, the plaintiff has been working for Target since 1993 in various capacities at three different locations in the Houston area. Stoughton suffers from autism and dyslexia, and he also has two rods in his back which impairs his mobility, but does not prevent him from performing all essential job functions, the suit states.
During his employment the plaintiff, who is white, claims he has been supervised by mostly black co-workers who frequently gave him menial tasks or moved his schedule around, which they knew was difficult for him due to previously stated disabilities.
Beginning in 2009 Stoughton alleges he was the subject of abuse and harassment caused by co-workers and notably his supervisor. After reporting the incidents to human resources, the harassment became worse as co-workers taunted him and made false accusations, the filing states.
The plaintiff further protested the treatment in October 2011 and saw his hours drastically reduced from 35-40 hours a week down to five hours a week, which caused him to lose his benefits, according to the suit.
He has since filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, but he has received neither compensation for his emotional distress nor has he been returned to a full work schedule.
The defendant is accused of disability discrimination, race and color discrimination and retaliation.
Stoughton is seeking actual and liquidated damages, reinstatement or front pay, compensatory and punitive damages, attorney's fees and costs. He is being represented by Cypress attorney Steven E. Petrou.
Houston Division of the Southern District of Texas Case No. 4:14-CV-02125.
This is a report on a civil lawsuit filed in the Houston Division of the Southern District of Texas. The details in this report come from an original complaint filed by a plaintiff. Please note, a complaint represents an accusation by a private individual, not the government. It is not an indication of guilt and it represents only one side of the story.