Sign up for the Today newsletter
Get everything you need to know to start your day, delivered right to your inbox every morning.
Custodial employee sues BC, alleging she faced racial and gender discrimination and was fired for speaking up
Cassandra Williams, who is Black, says a fellow Boston College custodian told her that her desk was “in the back where she belongs.”
A former Boston College custodial employee is suing the university, alleging she was fired after reporting workplace harassment and discrimination — including one incident during which her car was purportedly smeared with feces.
Cassandra Williams, who is Black, alleges some of her white subordinates and coworkers made “hostile comments” aimed at “her gender and/or race” after she was promoted to a supervisory role in January 2024. Her lawsuit, filed in Suffolk Superior Court last November, was first reported by BC student newspaper The Heights.
In one incident, according to the complaint, a university custodian told Williams her desk was “in the back where she belongs.” On other occasions, another supervisor allegedly screamed in Williams’s face when she asked a question, then made a comment about wanting to “slap” her.
More local news:
Williams complained to human resources after learning from coworkers that the other supervisor frequently made “degrading and disrespectful comments” that were largely based on her gender or race, according to the lawsuit. However, she alleges the other supervisor then encouraged fellow employees to retaliate against her by reporting false information about her.
Advertisement:
The university’s HR ultimately found that the other supervisor had created a hostile work environment for Williams, according to the lawsuit. He received a one-day suspension without pay, BC noted in its own court filings.
But less than a month later, Williams says she found her car “defaced” with feces in the Boston College parking lot. When she told HR she suspected the other supervisor, she was allegedly informed she “can’t just accuse someone.”
Williams alleges the harassment continued even after the other supervisor was assigned to a different shift, causing her “severe stress and anxiety” that required “a temporary leave of absence, followed by reduced days and hours upon her return,” according to the lawsuit.
Advertisement:
BC placed Williams on administrative leave this past March and fired her about two weeks later, the complaint states. Williams, who says her disciplinary record was clean for nearly two decades before her 2024 promotion, is now seeking at least $100,000 in damages for race and gender discrimination and retaliation.
But in its official response to the lawsuit, BC alleges it had “multiple concerns” about Williams that included “her ineffective supervision of custodial leads, her unapproved departures from work before the end of her scheduled shift, her understanding and use of workplace technology, and her failure to meet expectations with respect to communication with custodians.”
A university spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment Monday.
“Boston College has in place a clear and well-disseminated policy against discrimination, harassment, and retaliation, and a reasonable and available procedure for handling complaints thereof, which provides for prompt and effective responsive action,” the university argued in court filings.
“To the extent [Williams] unreasonably failed to take advantage of the preventative or corrective opportunities provided by Boston College, or to avoid harm otherwise, [her] claims are barred in whole or in part,” BC added.
Be civil. Be kind.
Read our full community guidelines.To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address