A transgender woman sued Sam's Club on Wednesday, saying she was the victim of harassment and discrimination before being wrongfully fired in 2015.
Charlene Bost, who worked at a Sam's Club in North Carolina, is suing the warehouse division of Wal-Mart Stores Inc. after the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in August found "reasonable cause" that she was subjected to discrimination and a hostile work environment because of her sex, then fired after repeated complaints.
Sam's Club denied the allegations, according to commission documents.
The commission issued a right-to-sue notice in September after a failed reconciliation process, according to the federal lawsuit filed in North Carolina on Wednesday. The lawsuit said Bost started expressing her female gender identity at work in 2008. Around that time, co-workers and supervisors began to harass and discriminate against Bost because of her sex.
Bost, who is seeking unspecified monetary damages and a court order asking Sam's Club to train its workers to prevent the harassment of transgender employees, is represented by the Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund.