Former Chief Administrative Officer sues the Travis County Healthcare District d/b/a Central Health for Race Discrimination and Retaliation

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Nov 06, 2020, 20:27 ET

AUSTIN, Texas, Nov. 6, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- On October 29, 2020, Larimen Wallace, the former Chief Administrative Officer for the Travis County Healthcare District d/b/a Central Health filed suit against his former employer. In his lawsuit, Mr. Wallace alleges that Central Health discriminated against him based on his race and retaliated against him for filing a charge of discrimination with the EEOC and for reporting race discrimination.

Mr. Wallace, who was the only African American executive leader at Central Health said, "It is disappointing that despite the long history of efforts by Central Health to address disparities for communities of color, the executive leadership would still discriminate and retaliate against individuals based on race."

According to the lawsuit, Central Health's current CEO Mike Geeslin has engaged in retaliation against Mr. Wallace since 2017 when Mr. Wallace filed a charge of discrimination alleging that he was not selected for the CEO position because of his race. Since he filed that charge, Mr. Geeslin upon beginning his employment as CEO refused to reinstate Mr. Wallace into his long standing second-in-command position, undermined and undercut Mr. Wallace's authority by eliminating his leadership role concerning critical operations, unilaterally reassigned Mr. Wallace's direct reports, and ultimately terminated him on December 9, 2019 for false reasons.

Despite repeated requests, Central Health has refused to provide evidence to support Mr. Geeslin's allegations that Mr. Wallace engaged in any inappropriate behavior that would warrant termination.

"I am saddened that I am forced to bring suit in this matter. I have devoted my career to serving and making a difference to the wellbeing of underserved and disenfranchised members of the community. I have always treated everyone with respect and dignity and continually invested in the development of others. I am confident that when the facts come out, it will be clear Central Health has unlawfully discriminated and retaliated against me because of my race," Mr. Wallace said.

Mr. Wallace is represented by Wiley Walsh, P.C., a plaintiff's side employment litigation firm in Austin, Texas. Rob Wiley and Colin Walsh are board certified specialists in labor and employment law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization.

The case is Wallace v. Travis County Health District d/b/a Central Health, No. D-1-GN-20-006645, 98th District Court, Travis County, Texas.

SOURCE Wiley Walsh, P.C.