Muslim worker sues casino
She alleges harassment, firing due to her religion
Schenectady A black Muslim woman alleges her supervisor at Rivers Casino & Resort routinely harassed her because of her religion and that she was wrongly terminated when she filed a complaint to management.
The allegations are detailed in a lawsuit filed by 57-year-old Roma Spady, who was hired in June 2017 as a worker responsible for housekeeping duties at the resort.
A year after starting, Spady was transferred and her new boss was a white man in his 40s named Jim, no last name given, according to the suit filed in state Supreme Court in Schenectady County.
The civil action contends Jim often made discriminatory remarks, including about the hijab or religious head scarf Spady wore and mocked how Muslims pray to other co-workers.
One time, according to the legal document, Jim began screaming, “I don’t know about this Muslim thing,” when Spady asked him for time off so she could eat dinner with her family during the Muslim religious holiday Eid that marks the end Ramadan.
Upset, Spady retreated to the bathroom and called another manager identified in the suit as Joel.
She told him that Jim made her feel uncomfortable and was harassing her over her religion.
When Joel confronted Jim, he denied everything.
From there, Spady took the matter to Joel’s manager, Mitch and requested a different supervisor.
Initially, Mitch agreed to the change, but then, according to the court papers, changed his mind, telling Spady that Jim would “think you’re running away from him.”
Mitch also informed Spady that the company was investigating Jim and that she should wait for the probe to finish.
Spady also discussed her problems with Jim with an inhouse attorney named Stacy, who also cited the investigation and went to Jim’s office to discuss the situation.
In June 2018, Spady filed a complaint against Jim that seemed to only make things worse.
“After her complaint was filed, Jim’s hostility toward plaintiff increased and he started to yell about her constantly,” the suit indicates.
About a month after she put in the complaint, Spady and Jim got into an argument during which she “waved her hands in front of him and told him to leave her alone.”
That verbal dispute led to a meeting with Tom in human resources, who after listening to both sides ordered Spady to go home until heard from him. Two days after that, Tom called to say that Rivers Casino “didn’t need her services” anymore.
The suit says Jim was never disciplined.
“The behavior cited to in the complaint is appalling, inhumane and has no place in Schenectady County, the State of New York or civil society at large,” Daniel Henderson of Shegerian & Associates in New York, said Friday in a statement. “We plan on vigorously prosecuting this case to vindicate our client’s civil rights and will seek to hold the responsible parties accountable.”
Andre Claridge with PC Public Affairs in Latham, representing Rivers Casino & Resort, declined comment Friday.
The suit, sent to the state Human Rights Division and Labor Department as well as the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, seeks unspecified damages for alleged economic and emotional distress plus legal fees. The lawsuit also names Rush Street Gaming, LLC, resort owner.