Kansas City nonprofit forced pregnant employee with disability out, lawsuit says
A former employee of Cornerstones of Care is suing the Kansas City nonprofit for discrimination, alleging she was treated differently and harassed because of a disability.
Jessica Baker, who started working at Cornerstones in late 2021, said in a recent lawsuit that she received positive reviews from her supervisor during her first 1 ½ years at the nonprofit. At one point, that supervisor, who is identified as J.P., allegedly told Baker “that she planned to nominate (her) for employee of the month for the entire agency,” according to the suit.
Her supervisor allegedly began treating Baker differently after she was injured in a fall in early 2023 and ultimately had to take family leave to recover. The lawsuit alleges that Baker was forced back to work “earlier than medically recommended” due to the “extreme pressure to return exerted by J.P.”
The mistreatment only deteriorated from there, the suit said, and continued when she was pregnant.
A former Family Resiliency Navigator for Cornerstones of Care, Baker has Friedreich’s Ataxia. The nonprofit, a behavioral and mental health nonprofit trauma care facility, was aware of her disability while Baker worked there, the suit said. Friedreich’s Ataxia is a rare, inherited disease that can cause a lack of muscle control and gait problems
“Plaintiff was subjected to a hostile work environment and ultimately was constructively discharged due to her disability and sex (pregnancy) and in retaliation for standing up for her own rights,” the suit said. “Plaintiff’s constructive discharge was part of a larger pattern and practice of Defendant to discriminate against her and others on the basis of disability, sex, and retaliation.”
Merideth Rose, president of Cornerstones of Care, provided a statement in response to questions submitted by The Star.
At the nonprofit, she said, “our mission is to partner with children and families to create safe, healthy and resilient communities, and we take seriously our responsibility to extend that same culture of safety and support to our workforce.”
“While we cannot comment on individual personnel matters or pending litigation, we can affirm that Cornerstones of Care follows policies and procedures grounded in fairness, compassion, and our core commitments to safety, emotional intelligence, learning and open communication,” Rose said. “We remain confident in the integrity of our processes and deeply committed to caring for both our employees and those we serve.”
The lawsuit, filed in Jackson County Circuit Court, seeks actual, compensatory and punitive damages from Cornerstones of Care.
Returned to work earlier than recommended
When Baker fell and severely broke her ankle in February 2023, that led to several emergency room visits, as well as two surgeries and five days in the hospital for the pulmonary embolism. Baker’s recovery was “particularly difficult” due to her Friedreich’s Ataxia, the suit said.
“... She was completely immobile for approximately two and a half months and was forced to take FMLA leave from work,” it said. “Despite Plaintiff’s leave, supervisor J.P. contacted Plaintiff over and over asking when she would be returning to work. J.P. would text Plaintiff on her personal phone asking when she would return.”
The suit described one example where J.P. allegedly contacted Baker while she was “actively in the emergency room for a pulmonary embolism condition that was potentially fatal.”
“Even though J.P. was aware of the pulmonary embolism at the time of contacting Plaintiff,” the suit alleges.
Baker told her employer that the time needed to recover was unpredictable, the suit said, and that “they would not likely be able to know when she would be well enough to return to work until it was near the actual return time.”
In May 2023, Baker returned to work. Later that year, Baker found out she was pregnant and the baby was due the following summer.
Alleged harassment, discrimination became detrimental
The harassment only continued into 2024, the suit said. And in February of that year, Baker emailed Human Resources for assistance “in addressing J.P.’s harassment and unlawful discrimination.” She submitted an official grievance.
“HR failed to conduct a meaningful investigation and dismissed Plaintiff’s concerns stating that it was miscommunication,” the suit said. “After Plaintiff made her complaint, Defendant started Plaintiff on a disciplinary actions plan. “
Ultimately, as the harassment continued, Plaintiff determined the stress from it all “became detrimental to the health of her baby and herself during this time in Plaintiff’s pregnancy.”
“As a result, Plaintiff was constructively discharged and submitted her four (4) weeks’ notice in April 2024,” the suit said. “Near the end of the workday, HR emailed Plaintiff that they had accepted her notice effective immediately.”
She was not able, the suit alleges, to say goodbye to the children and families she worked with as well as colleagues and others.
Baker has requested a jury trial.
According to the suit, Baker’s “gender and pregnancy played a role in” the discrimination she received. Cornerstones of Care “should have known of the discrimination based on Plaintiff’s gender and pregnancy but failed to take prompt remedial action in response.”
“As a result, Plaintiff suffered lost wages and benefits, past and future, garden variety emotional distress, mental anguish, stress, pain and suffering, inconvenience, embarrassment, humiliation, lost career opportunities and other non-pecuniary losses,” the suit said.
“The conduct of Defendant was outrageous, reflected an evil motive and/or was in conscious disregard for Plaintiff’s rights, such that Plaintiff is entitled to an award of punitive damages in an amount determined by a jury of her peers. “
