A former Penn employee filed a lawsuit against the University on Wednesday, alleging discrimination and retaliation based on her race and disability.
The May 13 suit — brought on by Marille Heallis, a former assistant director of finance and administration — sued Penn under Title VII, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act, and the Philadelphia Fair Practices Ordinance. In the complaint, Heallis’ lawyers argued that she was subject to discriminatory treatment under Associate Vice Provost for Research, Environmental Health, and Radiation Safety Maureen O’Leary.
According to the lawsuit, the various “managers, supervisors, agents, and employees” hired by Penn “engaged in the pattern and practice” of discrimination toward Heallis.
A University spokesperson declined The Daily Pennsylvanian’s request for comment, citing the ongoing litigation. Requests were left with Heallis’ lawyers and O’Leary.
Heallis argued that “African American female employees had a very high turnover rate” under O’Leary, either transferring out of the department or quitting entirely.
She was the only Black person in the office with a leadership role and the only one with the assistant director title, according to the lawsuit. Four other employees with “equivalent director roles” were titled associate directors.
Heallis was also the only director assigned to work in a cubicle in the basement, while “[a]ll of the other Caucasian directors had offices of their own."
Due to her lack of a personal office, Heallis was “forced” to find private spaces to conduct meetings, the lawsuit alleged. Following a complaint to Human Resources, she was eventually provided an office over three months after she started work.
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Heallis also claimed that she struggled to secure permission to work from home despite having severe asthma, a process the filing states “no other directors had to go through.” Her cubicle “had no air ventilation or windows.”
Between November 2023 and January 2024, the filing states that Heallis had to take three medical leaves of absence due to her asthma, which is classified as “a serious health condition that is considered to be a disability” under the ADA.
According to the lawsuit, Heallis “requested the reasonable medical accommodation to work from home once per week” as an option in the event that she “suffered from severe breathing issues and could not come into work at any point during the week.”
Heallis alleged that she did not originally want to make a complaint because O’Leary had made “derogatory comments” about another employee who had requested accommodations.
When Heallis’ request was approved, the filing states that “O’Leary only wanted to approve it for a two (2) month period,” despite the fact that Heallis’ asthma “was an ongoing disability that would not get better over time.”
O’Leary eventually terminated Heallis’ position, citing redundancy.
In the suit, Heallis requested damages to cover her fees and losses associated with the discriminatory conduct, as well as punitive and emotional pain, and suffering damages.
She also asked for an injunction of any further discriminatory conduct by the University and its affiliates and for the implementation of “training programs, policies, practices and programs which provide equal employment opportunities.”
Heallis requested that any “negative, discriminatory, and/or defamatory memoranda and documentation” be removed from her employment record, including any pretexts for her termination.
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Staff reporter Lavanya Mani covers legal affairs and can be reached at mani@thedp.com. At Penn, she studies English. Follow her on X @lavanyamani_.
