Kansas City Settles YCMTSU Harassment Suits for $1.3 Million

A Kansas City firefighter-paramedic with two pending employment discrimination lawsuits has agreed to settle both suits, and not file a third, in exchange for a $1.3 million settlement. Rebecca Reynolds, 61, alleged she endured over twenty years of harassment and discrimination attributed to her age, gender, and sexual orientation.

Among the allegations in the first suit she filed in Jackson County Circuit Court in 2023 are:

• Plaintiff is a female Lesbian employee, over the age of 40 (born in 1963), with the Defendant City of Kansas City, Missouri, and has been since July 2003.
• During her employment with Defendant City, Plaintiff has endured discriminatory and abusive conduct based on her gender, sexual orientation, and age.
• Plaintiff has been screamed at by superiors, who have told her, among other things, that she was “not normal” because of her sexual orientation.
• Plaintiff has been subjected to demeaning and humiliating conduct because of her gender, sexual orientation, and age.
• During 2020, when questioning the difference in her pay, Plaintiff’s Captain [omitted], told her to “shut the fuck up” in front of everyone at the station while sitting at the table.
• On or about November 18, 2021, Plaintiff responded to an emergency call as a medic. Also responding on the call was EMT [omitted]. As medic, Plaintiff was responsible for directing the activity of the EMT and for completing all paperwork. The EMT is responsible for cleaning and reorganizing the ambulance following a call. Instead of cleaning the ambulance, was outside the hospital ambulance bay smoking. Plaintiff told [omitted], “We’ve got to go.” responded by yelling at Plaintiff, telling her, among other things, “You don’t know what the fuck you are doing.” This abusive behavior continued on the return ride to their station.
• Plaintiff complained to her Battalion Chief, [omitted], that this conduct constituted a hostile work environment.
• After having to seek treatment for the emotional damage sustained, Plaintiff began to report each discriminatory or harassing incident. Defendant City began to retaliate against Plaintiff for making such complaints.

The second suit was filed after Reynolds was “intentionally tripped” resulting in a knee injury that necessitated surgery. That suit was also filed in Jackson County Circuit Court earlier this year. As explained in the second complaint:

• On March 10, 2023, Plaintiff was intentionally tripped by a co-worker and suffered a knee injury that ultimately required surgery. The co-worker who tripped Plaintiff is an African American male.
• On March 18, 2023, Plaintiff responded to a medical emergency at Kansas City International Airport, where she was stationed. The same co-worker who tripped her the previous week, an EMT, was at the scene.
• Because Plaintiff is a paramedic, she has a higher rank and legal responsibility than an EMT, and therefore engaged with the patient. The co-worker placed his hands on Plaintiff and prevented Plaintiff from engaging with the patient. The patient, who was mentally unstable, began running around the airport terminal, creating an unsafe situation.
• Plaintiff requested access to video surveillance footage, which would have confirmed her version of the events, i.e., that the co-worker forced her away from the patient.
• On March 20, 2023, Plaintiff was summoned to a meeting with the Battalion Chief and Captain. Plaintiff assumed the meeting was to review the video surveillance footage.
• Instead, Plaintiff was told she was an “ongoing concern” for the station.
• Plaintiff asked for permission to respond to the accusation and was denied the opportunity. At that time, she reported the March 10 tripping incident, and asked why she continued to be harassed. The Battalion Chief responded that she was being harassed because she was “beat by the race card” (referring to the African American co-worker) and she “sat down to pee” (referring to her gender).
• After making a Sunshine request for the video, the Battalion Chief accused Plaintiff of hiring an attorney to obtain the video.
• Plaintiff continues to suffer from discriminatory and retaliatory actions as well as working in a hostile work environment. Since Plaintiff has complained of a hostile work environment, Plaintiff continues to suffer retaliation in the form of changes in her work assignments, resulting in loss of income. Plaintiff is not paid the proper pay grade for a paramedic.

As if the allegations in the two lawsuits were not outrageous enough, while she was off recuperating from her injury, a firefighter urinated on her personal belongings in the firehouse. DNA testing identified the culprit as Pleaze Robinson III, who was subsequently charged with first-degree felony harassment and felony property damage. Here is earlier coverage of that case.

The $1.3 million settlement will be a global settlement of both suits plus any claims Reynolds has arising out of the urination case.  More on the settlement. Here are copies of both complaints.