Driving in to work the other morning I heard about this story on the radio, and couldn’t help but think of the EPLI nightmare it potentially presents (and its potential as a Fall Through the Cracks Friday post). From the “no good deed goes unpunished” file…

A woman in New York donated her kidney to help save the life of her boss, who was in need of a transplant. While the woman was not a match for her boss, she did go through with donating her kidney to another recipient in need which, in turn, moved her boss up the transplant list. Fantastic gesture to be sure, but here is where the story gets a bit difficult. From the article:

In January 2011, Brucia called Stevens into her office and asked if she was serious about donating her kidney. Brucia’s donor had backed out.

Stevens told ABCNews.com: “I said, ‘Yeah, sure. This isn’t a joking matter.’ I did not do it for job security. I didn’t do it to get a raise. I did it because it’s who I am. I didn’t want her to die.”

After returning to work, Stevens alleges that Brucia began to attack her. A few days after her return, Stevens, still recovering from surgery, was ill and went home. Stevens claims that Brucia called her and antagonized her at home.

She told The New York Post, “She . . . said, ‘What are you doing? Why aren’t you at work?’ I told her I didn’t feel good. She said, ‘You can’t come and go as you please. People are going to think you’re getting special treatment.’

 

When Brucia returned, Stevens claims that she berated her in front of other employees and transferred her to a dealership 50 miles away where she was ultimately pushed out of the company.

A complaint has been filed by Stevens with the New York Human Rights Commission.

Have a great week! Watch for two new sessions from the 2012 PLUS D&O Symposium to be posted to PLUS blog next week.