The nurses claim they were subjected to racial and disability discrimination from the health system and their coworkers
TRENTON - A group of Capital Heath System nurses claim they faced months of racial and disability discrimination at a Trenton hospital before they were all unjustly fired, according to a series of recently filed lawsuits.
The four suits, which were filed in early June on behalf of nurses Gabriella Bryson, Krystine Agtuca, Cecilia Hancock and Kathleen Menold, detail the various forms of discrimination that the women said they were subjected to over the past years and months. All of the alleged incidents happened while the nurses were working at a Capital Health System hospital on Brunswick Avenue in Trenton, the suits said.
A spokesperson for Capital Health did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday.
The allegations of racism at the hospital were highlighted in Bryson's case. As an African American woman, Bryson claimed she was subjected to slurs based on her race. She also claimed that her supervisor, Heather Serdikoff, was responsible for much of the discrimination.
At one point Serdikoff said, "I wouldn't leave your bag out... you know, we have a few dark ones here," the suit said.
Another supervisor, Shelly Iezzo, also made racist comments around Bryson, the suit said. Iezzo said, "If it were up to me, we wouldn't have black patients," and "I don't even bother talking to the blacks about their laziness," the suit said.
Bryson claimed she was fired in June, 2015 and replaced with a white employee.
Agtuca, a Filipina woman, said she was also bombarded with comments about her race from her coworkers who laughed at and mimicked her accent. She claimed she was punished for being late while other white employees, "were chronically late and received no discipline," the suit said.
Agtuca worked at the hospital for less than two years when she said she was unjustly fired in June, 2015. She was replaced with a white employee, the suit claimed.
Tool left in NJ patient for 2 days, suit says
Hancock's complaint was similar to Agtuca's. Also a Filipina woman, Hancock said coworkers mocked her accent and asked her to make food from the Philippines, her suit said. Hancock claimed she was also unjustly fired in February, 2015 and replaced with a white employee.
But the complaints didn't stop at allegations of racism within the hospital - Menold claimed she was also discriminated against based on her disability.
The fourth nurse said she took a position at the hospital in 2013 but a car crash in March, 2015, left her injured and disabled.
She said that she could still perform her duties as a nurse with accommodations for her disabilities.
During her time as a nurse at the Trenton hospital, Menold said she objected to racial discrimination that she witnessed. She also refused to prescribe medications to patients when she thought they were abusing the drugs.
"(Menold) refused to participate in activities she reasonably believed to be in violation of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA)," the suit said.
HIPPA is a law that ensures a patient's medical records and health information are kept private.
It wasn't long after her crash that Menold said she was also unjustly fired in May or 2015. Menold blames the firing on disability discrimination and retaliation from the health system.
Mark Laderman, an attorney handling all four cases, did not respond to multiple calls for comment. Two of the nurses also did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday.
Anna Merriman may be reached at amerriman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @anna_merriman Find The Times of Trenton on Facebook.