Suit alleges Trimac terminated recruiting manager because of race

HOUSTON - A Houston woman claims Trimac Transportation Inc. racially discriminated and then terminated her, recent court documents say. 

According to a lawsuit filed Jan. 22 in the Houston Division of the Southern District of Texas, the company mistreated Patricia Schrei because she is black.

The suit shows a white supervisor subjected Schrei to disparate treatment as the plaintiff's Caucasian co-workers were spared any disciplinary action or even criticism.

Trimac hired Schrei, who holds a master's degree, as a recruiting manager on Sept. 6, 2011.

Schrei explains that the aforementioned supervisor "needlessly" attacked her character as well as placed her "on the receiving end of intimidation."

Her requests for constructive feedback were ignored and in its place came negative feedback, the suit says.

The original petition further asserts that Trimac sought to fire one of Schrei's team members, who is also an African American woman.

The complainant adds as the only black manager, she was frozen out of important e-mails and not invited to meetings that were essential to her job performance.

She insists that the defendant "was nitpicking her every move", which prompted her to send an e-mail addressing her concerns.

Trimac's purported actions eventually took their toll on the plaintiff's health since she was hospitalized after suffering a physical and emotional breakdown in October 2012.

Schrei also mentions that the respondent hired her husband to be a truck driver but the supervisor supposedly at odds with her fired him upon learning about their marriage.

After her husband's termination, Schrei herself was let go for an unspecified offense though the suit maintains Trimac did so out of racism.

A jury trial is requested.

Attorney Marc Anson Bozeman with The Bozeman Law Firm in Houston is representing the plaintiff.

Case No. 4:13-CV-156