HOUSTON — A former Cox Radio employee is seeking an appeal of a Texas Workforce Commission decision that denied her unemployment benefits after she was fired over a personal social media post.
Deasirae C. Woodard filed a complaint July 2 in Harris County District Court against Texas Workforce Commission and Cox Radio Inc., C/O ADP LLC and its subsidiaries and Talx UCM Services Inc., seeking a review and appeal of an unemployment claim denial.
According to her complaint, Woodard was employed by Cox Radio from June 27, 2018, through March 9, 2020, as a "brand ambassador" and was terminated due to a social media post on her personal social media page which she claims was done "outside of work hours."
She alleges in her suit that in November of 2020, she applied for and was approved for unemployment due to a finding by the Texas Workforce Commission that "there was no misconduct" connected to her work. However, Woodard further alleges that in February of 2021, the Texas Workforce Commission stated she was no longer eligible for unemployment beginning Dec. 6, 2020, and then denied her appeal of the decision in June of 2021.
She claims the Commission's decision is "arbitrary, unreasonable, capricious and without regard to the facts and evidence" and that her social media post was not made during work hours and did not mention her employer.
Woodard seeks monetary and all other just relief. She is represented by Celeste Herron of Lone Star Legal Aid in Houston.
Harris County District Court case number 2021-39881