The University of Southern California (USC) fired a high-ranking Black woman from its athletics department after she raised concerns about racist and sexist remarks made by her boss, according to a lawsuit filed in state court. The case, which invokes California’s new intersectionality bias law, was filed Thursday by Joyce Bell Limbrick, who alleges that her termination violated the state’s Fair Employment and Housing Act.
Bell Limbrick, a former executive senior associate athletic director at USC, claims that her dismissal occurred shortly after she voiced complaints about USC’s athletics director, Mike Bohn. She alleges Bohn made inappropriate comments about her and reduced her job responsibilities in retaliation for her complaints.
According to Bell Limbrick’s attorney, this may be the first case filed under California’s new law, which took effect on January 1, allowing workers to combine claims of discrimination based on multiple protected characteristics.
“The timing of the defendants’ decision to terminate plaintiff and the false statements surrounding her dismissal both occurred shortly after she raised concerns about harassment and discrimination,” Bell Limbrick said in the lawsuit.
