Employees at KC real estate company called Black, migrant tenants ‘monkeys,’ lawsuit says
A woman filed a lawsuit against a Kansas City-based real estate company Friday after being fired following an administrative leave taken due to alleged racist comments made towards her by staff members.
Stefanie Eubanks is suing Prism Real Estate Services, alleging racial harassment and discrimination, disability harassment and discrimination, age harassment and discrimination, retaliation and retaliation workers’ compensation, according to Jackson County court documents.
Eubanks began working for the real estate company in 2024 as an assistant property manager. She received “good reviews for her work and performance throughout her employment,” according to court documents.
The lawsuit alleges Eubanks was hired so that an unnamed white employee “did not have to speak to Black,” “minority,” or “migrant” tenants. The woman was reportedly “open about not wanting to speak” to the tenants.
On one occasion, the woman allegedly approached Eubanks and told her that her stepson was getting in trouble at school because he kept using the “N-word,” according to court documents. The woman allegedly repeated the word to Eubanks, who stood up and left the conversation.
A second unnamed employee, a man in his 60s, allegedly referred to Black and migrant tenants as “monkeys” daily, according to court documents. The man allegedly told Eubanks his grandfather was a member of the Ku Klux Klan and “hated African American people.”
The suit alleges the man would use “a litany” of racial and ethnic slurs to refer to tenants in the building, and refused to speak with Eubanks. He reportedly refused to follow instructions given to him by Eubanks.
Eubanks reported the man’s behavior at least three separate times, and the behavior was never addressed by the company, according to court documents.
Around September 2024, Eubanks allegedly became “incredibly anxious” in the workplace due to the repeated comments, as well as comments about training and moving different employees, according to court documents.
She applied to take a leave of absence due in part to work related stress, according to court documents. When Eubanks attempted to return to work after her leave in October, human resources told her she could not return unless she had a doctor’s note clearing her for work.
Eubanks “made several attempts” to get her doctor to fill out the required forms to return to work, according to court documents, and communicated her difficulties with her employer.
She was fired on Oct. 17, 2024, according to court documents. The lawsuit does not give a reason for Eubanks’ termination.
“For nearly thirteen years, Prism Real Estate Services has fostered a culture built on mutual respect, inclusion, empathy, and equality for all our valued employees, residents, and business and community partners,” a representative for Prism Real Estate said in an email to The Star.
“While we are unable to comment on the specific details of pending legal matters; the unproven and unsubstantiated allegations made in this lawsuit by one former employee are wholly inconsistent with our company’s values, policies, and standards of conduct expected from all Prism team members,” the company representative said.
“Prism will continue to provide a workplace environment where all employees feel safe, valued, and empowered, and we look forward to a positive resolution of this matter in a court of law.”
