Former Pennsylvania College Employee Sues for Racial Discrimination, Sexual Harassment by School President

A former employee of Erie County Community College is suing the institution, alleging racial discrimination as well as sexual harassment by the school's president.

In a lawsuit filed Wednesday in the U.S. District Court in Erie, Pennsylvania, Marieka Jones, who worked in the finance department starting in 2021, accused college President Christopher Gray of "repeatedly and intentionally" touching his genital area over his pants during private meetings in her office in 2022.

Jones reported the behavior to her supervisor and the head of human resources in November of that year. Following these reports, Gray ceased visiting her office and interacted with her only in public settings, according to the suit.

Approximately two weeks after reporting her experience to human resources, Jones was written up for allegedly sending inappropriate emails to a co-worker. However, the lawsuit claims, no such emails existed. Jones was then placed on a performance improvement plan the same month.

After completing the plan and transitioning into a new position in December 2022, Jones claims she was told she couldn't call out of work despite having personal time available.

Jones, who is Black, has additionally claimed racial discrimination after she reportedly questioned the head of human resources about the lack of observance of Black History Month in February 2023.

The suit alleges that a dean described her inquiries as "aggressive" and that Jones felt she was perceived as an "angry Black woman" for asking.

Jones emailed a discrimination complaint about discrimination to Gray and two board members. The lawsuit claims she was terminated in March 2023 for ineffective communication, a reason Jones disputes, asserting that her dismissal was in retaliation for her complaints.

In a statement to the Erie Times-News, the school called the allegations "baseless."

"Since our inception and opening, EC3 has worked incredibly hard to create a welcoming workplace for all," the institution said. "EC3 strongly refutes these baseless allegations and believes this suit is without merit."

Jones is asking for her job to be reinstated, back pay and other monetary damages.