Being blamed for something serious at work can put more than a job at risk. And when an employee believes there was already a problem behind the scenes, getting answers can take years.
For Colorado nurse DonQuenick Joppy, that fight followed the death of a 93-year-old ICU patient. She was fired and later faced criminal charges, while maintaining that the hospital’s actions came after she had complained about racial discrimination.
According to Atlanta Black Star, Joppy eventually took her fight against the hospital’s parent company to court. Years after losing her job, a federal jury reached a decision that changed where the case stood.
“We are sick people”
Joppy, a 41-year-old Black registered nurse, began working in The Medical Center of Aurora’s ICU in 2017. She claimed she was treated differently from non-Black nurses despite receiving a favorable performance review and positive feedback from patients…