A transgender Atlanta woman has filed a lawsuit against AT&T alleging that she was discriminated against and fired after she revealed her new identity.
Robyn Casias, who was formerly known as Robert Lott, had worked with the American telecommunications company for 16 years. In 2017, 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 began to work for the company in 2001 as a senior member of its technical staff and was promoted in 2006 and 2012.
During this time, Casias presented herself as a ‘married man with three children’ and used male pronouns.
Robyn Casias, who was formerly known as Robert Lott, had worked with the American telecommunications company for 16 years and 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
But by March 2017, she had completely transitioned 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 states.
Casias had also received a service excellence award in May 2017.
According to the lawsuit, she said her award gave her confidence about her value to the company, which made her decide to reveal her transgender status to colleagues.
During a three-day work conference in June 2017 in Texas, Casias decided to present herself as Robert for the first two days, but on the third day, she ‘courageously decided to unveil 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, apprehension about discrimination, and a myriad of other intense feelings,’ the lawsuit states.
During a three-day work conference in June 2017 in Texas, Casias decided to present herself as Robert for the first two days, but on the third day, she ‘courageously decided to unveil her true self.’
But instead of acceptance, the lawsuit noted that her colleagues responded angrily and one male coworker allegedly ‘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 transition to coworkers via email.
‘The long and successful career she had enjoyed at AT&T while presenting as male came to a screeching, unlawful halt thereafter.
‘Though Robert Lott was a star who led the most important projects, Robyn Casias was an unwanted and unwelcomed outcast who was refused substantive work for three years and then terminated.
‘After her workplace transition, (Casias) was taken off many of the previous projects she had been assigned prior to her transition,’ the lawsuit claims.
Casias is now seeking at least $3 million in compensation in total for three civil claims for gender discrimination, retaliation and punitive damages along with legal costs
AT&T has denied all claims and said: ‘We do not discriminate, nor do we tolerate discrimination of any kind, including based on (an) individual’s gender, gender identity or sexual orientation’
Casias claims in the lawsuit she was excluded from critical meetings and presentations and was only assigned to administrative jobs.
By August 2018, Casias had first reported the alleged discrimination to AT&T’s human resources staff, and the complaint states that her case was closed soon after.
The law states that by February 2020, Casias had expressed her concern to a company executive after repeatedly complaining to human resources staff.
Despite assurances, in July 2020, she was fired by AT&T for being ‘on the surplus’
Casias is now seeking at least $3 million in compensation in total for three civil claims for gender discrimination, retaliation and punitive damages along with legal costs.
Megan Goddard, Casias’ attorney, said in a statement to Atlanta News First: ‘In twenty years of practice, I have rarely heard allegations of such blatant discrimination.
‘My client was an integral, highly regarded member of the AT&T team for 16 years, but that changed drastically the day that she came to work in a dress and announced that she was transgender. Apparently, despite 16 years of stellar performance, AT&T considered her unworthy of performing substantive work once she transitioned.’
AT&T has denied all claims and said: ‘We do not discriminate, nor do we tolerate discrimination of any kind, including based on (an) individual’s gender, gender identity or sexual orientation.’