Metro Councilmember Zulfat Suara filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against her former employer, Meharry Medical College, shortly before the Thanksgiving holiday.
In the complaint, Suara alleges that she was terminated from her finance position at the historically Black medical school in October 2024 and that she has been treated differently than other similarly situated employees. According to the complaint, Suara has sought an official termination letter and explanation for her dismissal. She also contends that a lack of information about her termination has hindered her job search.
In the complaint, Suara said she “is aware of numerous other at-will or non-contract employees similarly-situated to herself who were terminated by MMC in the last year (some at the same time as she was) who received severance letters.” Suara, a practicing Muslim who was born in Nigeria, said in the lawsuit that “she is being treated differently based on her religious beliefs and practices, and/or due to her national and ethnic origin.”…