TYLER — The East Texas Municipal Utility District (ETMUD), its general manager and several supervisors are facing claims of discrimination by a former office manager.
Guadalupe Aparicio filed a complaint Dec. 19 in the Tyler Division of the Eastern District of Texas against Smith County Municipal Utility District No. 1 also known as ETMUC, Lane Thompson and others alleging violation of the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments and breach of contract.
Guadalupe, a Hispanic female who worked for ETMUD for more than 16 years, alleges in her complaint that in July of 2019, she and other employees "overheard" their supervisor stating Hispanic customers "should go back to where they came from." After lodging complaints to various superiors, Guadalupe claims she was put on administrative leave, not allowed to return to work and was fired on Aug. 14, 2019 without notice or hearing. According to her suit, Guadalupe also worked withe authorities to expose wrongdoing by a previous ETMUD general manager.
Guadalupe seeks monetary and other just relief. She is represented by Steven Mason and Julie Wright of Freeman Mills PC in Tyler.
Tyler Division of the Eastern District of Texas case 6:19-cv-00606-JCB