HOUSTON – A former Fort Bend County juvenile detention officer alleges the county terminated her for not giving up her foster children, recent Houston federal court records show.
Nikia Johnson sued Fort Bend on Nov. 21, asserting that the governmental entity infringed upon her constitutional rights when it fired her last February.
Per the lawsuit, Johnson, whom the county hired in August 2011, became a foster parent in August 2014.
A placement agency reportedly approached the plaintiff about adopting a child to which she initially declined. An employee of the defendant’s juvenile system then persuaded Johnson to take the child, court papers say.
Johnson’s foster parenting raised concerns about a conflict of interest, but an investigation determined that there was none.
“Once it was determined the activities did not constitute a business, supervisors of the juvenile system began fabricating potential conflicts of interest that could arise because Johnson was a foster parent,” the suit says.
Johnson further shows that Fort Bend purportedly forced her to choose between her job and her children. The county fired her after she refused to relinquish her foster parenting rights, the suit says.
A jury trial is requested.
Attorney Hessam Parzivand of The Parzivand Law Firm, PLLC in Houston is representing the complainant.
Houston Division of the Southern District of Texas Case No. 4:16-CV-3437