A hospital worker claims she was routinely racially abused by black and Muslim staff members because she is a “white Christian” woman. She launched a major lawsuit for workplace discrimination. The details are alarming.
Catherine Maughan, 36, decided to sue Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital for sex, race, and religious discrimination in a case that sparked heated debate. The former data manager of the Middlesborough medical center claims she was the target of relentless abuse and harassment because of her gender, faith, and skin color.
When it comes to discrimination and racism, we have been conditioned by the media to primarily picture white people abusing minorities. Of course, such bigotry isn’t exclusive to any race or creed, and Maughan hoped to expose this often dismissed phenomenon.
According to the Daily Mail, Maughan filed a lawsuit claiming that her black and Muslim colleagues viciously bullied her for being a “white Christian” woman, labeling her a “stupic northerner” and a “silly white b—-.” She claims she was subject to both verbal and physical abuse from multiple coworkers and management officials.
The suit claims that Maughan was even intimidated into changing her behavior both in the workplace and after hours. She was reportedly told not to drink alcohol after work on Fridays because it would offend Muslims. She claims she was kicked in an elevator at her place of work and began fearing for her safety when colleagues threatened and berated her.
In a statement, she also claims she felt “extremely anxious, stressed, and worried for [her] safety” and alleges that a manager banged his fist on a desk and told her she “would be sorry” that she complained about him. She also alleged that she was told to “accept that in black African culture, men are dominating towards women.”
Maughan implicated her former manager, Adeboye Ifederu, and colleagues Ayotunde Ojo, Margaret King, and Rebecca Eaton-Jones. The suit recounts several dates and claims, including coworkers warning her not to consume alcohol and calling her a “f—— silly b—-” and a “white Yorkshire girl.”
“Adeboye stood very close to me when there was no other colleagues around and when I stood back he moved closer,” she said. “With an aggressive tone, Adeboye called me a ‘silly white girl’ and said he was ‘surprised that I had been a manager before being stupid and inexperienced.’ Adeboye told me I ‘must ask for permission when leaving my desk or using the toilet.’ I responded that no other colleagues are required to do this.”
Maughan claimed that Adeboye later slammed his fist on her desk and threatened her for filing a report. He allegedly told her she “would be sorry for complaining about him,” which made her scared for her life.
Eventually, the abuse came to a head. Maughan claimed that Adeboye called her a “stupid white girl” and demanded to know why she hadn’t “run away yet like others.” She said she was eventually kicked in the foot by Ojo when she was exiting the elevator.
On the day she handed in her resignation letter, she noted: “I continue to lose a large amount of hair on a daily basis and I feel embarrassed and deeply devastated and upset, worried that a large amount of my hair has fallen out and I was left with visible bald patches and very thinned hair.”
Maughan claimed that she was sabotaged by her former employer. She said that they sent a “misleading and inaccurate reference” to another hospital, ensuring that a job for which she had applied was denied. Her lawsuit claims that she has since suffered a deduction in wages and has trouble finding employment.
The hospital denied all allegations of discrimination, bullying, and threatening behavior toward Maughan. A tribunal would ultimately decide what happens after the investigation concludes.
Neither anti-white nor anti-Christian discrimination is commonly reported in the workplace. However, that doesn’t mean that it’s non-existent. Unfortunately, due to the media hyping stories of alleged racism and discrimination against minorities, cases like this are often ignored or disbelieved.
