Atlanta Transgender woman sues AT&T for $3M, claiming she was promoted while living as a married father of three, but was treated as an outcast and was FIRED after she transitioned
A transgender woman from Atlanta has filed a lawsuit against AT&T claiming she was discriminated against and fired after revealing her new identity.
Robyn Casias, formerly known as Robert Lott, had worked at the American telecommunications company for sixteen years. In 2017, she revealed her transgender status to colleagues during a weeklong meeting in Texas.
According to the lawsuit, Casias was a “highly regarded star employee” at the company and worked as a senior project architect.
She started working for the company in 2001 as a senior member of the technical staff and was promoted in 2006 and 2012.
During this time, Casias presented herself as a “married man with three children” and used masculine pronouns.
Robyn Casias, formerly known as Robert Lott, had worked at the US telecommunications company for 16 years and in 2017 she revealed her transgender status to colleagues during a week-long meeting in Texas.
According to the lawsuit, Casias was a “highly regarded star employee” at the company and worked as a senior project architect
But by March 2017, she had completely transformed into a woman and revealed her new identity to friends and family, but was afraid to do so at work for fear of retaliation, the lawsuit said.
Casias also received a Service Excellence Award in May 2017.
According to the lawsuit, she said the award gave her confidence about her value to the company, which led her to disclose her transgender status to colleagues.
During a three-day work conference in Texas in June 2017, Casias decided to present herself as Robert for the first two days, but on the third day she decided to “boldly reveal her true self.”
That morning, (Casias) put on her dress, makeup and nail polish and left her hotel room experiencing a whirlwind of emotions: fear, irreversible decisions, the possibility of turning back, relief, regret, joy, newfound freedom, anxiety about discrimination and a host of other intense feelings,” the lawsuit said.
During a three-day work conference in Texas in June 2017, Casias decided to present herself as Robert for the first two days, but on the third day she decided to “boldly reveal her true self.”
But instead of acceptance, the lawsuit noted that her coworkers reacted angrily and that a male colleague “turned beet red” before aggressively demanding to know what she was doing.
After returning from the event, Casias “made her formal reintroduction to the workplace as Robyn” and announced her move to colleagues via email.
“The long and successful career she had enjoyed at AT&T while presenting as a man came to a screeching, unlawful halt.
“While Robert Lott was a star leading the major projects, Robyn Casias was an unwanted and unwelcome outcast who was denied substantive work for three years and then fired.
“Following her transition to the workplace, (Casias) was pulled from many of the prior projects assigned to her prior to her transition,” the lawsuit alleges.
Casias is now seeking a total of at least $3 million in compensation for three civil claims for gender discrimination, retaliation and punitive damages, along with legal fees
AT&T has denied all claims, saying: 'We do not discriminate and will not tolerate discrimination of any kind, including on the basis of an individual's sex, gender identity or sexual orientation'
Casias claims in the lawsuit that she was excluded from critical meetings and presentations and given only administrative jobs.
Casias first reported the alleged discrimination to AT&T's human resources department in August 2018, and the complaint states that her case was closed shortly thereafter.
According to the law, Casias had expressed her concerns to a company manager in February 2020 after repeatedly complaining to human resources.
Despite assurances, she was fired by AT&T in July 2020 because she was “overspent.”
Casias is now seeking a total of at least $3 million in compensation for three civil claims for gender discrimination, retaliation and punitive damages, along with legal fees.
Megan Goddard, Casias' attorney, said in a statement Atlanta News First: 'In the twenty years that I have worked in practice, I have rarely heard accusations of such blatant discrimination.
“My client was an integral and highly regarded member of the AT&T team for 16 years, but that changed dramatically the day she showed up to work in a dress and announced she was transgender. Apparently, despite sixteen years of outstanding performance, AT&T deemed her unworthy to do substantive work after she made the move.”
AT&T has denied all claims, saying: “We do not discriminate and will not tolerate discrimination of any kind, including on the basis of an individual's sex, gender identity or sexual orientation.”