The plaintiffs say the company should have spotted the warning signs before hiring him
Three UnitedHealthcare employees are suing the company in federal court, saying it hired a supervisor it should have known had a harassment history.
The lawsuits, filed April 28, 2026, in the US District Court for the Western District of New York, were brought by Dawn Scott-Iverson, Tanya Hall, and Christine Barbas. They name United Healthcare Services, Inc., its management arm, and their direct supervisor, Roddy Torres. Each woman is seeking at least $9 million in damages, plus punitive damages, across nine claims that include gender discrimination, hostile work environment, retaliation, and negligent hiring.
The hiring question
For HR leaders, the most striking thread running through all three filings is the negligent hiring allegation. Each complaint says UnitedHealthcare "knew or should have known" that the supervisor had "a propensity to engage in inappropriate and sexually harassing conduct, including prior misconduct for which he was terminated from a previous position."
How the women say they learned about each other matters too. According to Hall's filing, she discovered around November 2024 that the supervisor had previously been let go from another job over similar allegations. Each of the three women's complaints names the other two, suggesting their lawyers are framing this as a pattern rather than three isolated incidents.
What the women say happened at work
The allegations cover a broad arc of the employee experience. Hall says her trouble began at the interview itself, in October 2024, when the supervisor allegedly placed his hand on her leg and told her the job was "in the bag." Scott-Iverson, who has worked at the company since February 2023, describes a pattern of unwanted physical contact, including touching during car rides and uninvited attempts to kiss her.
Barbas's account adds a different dimension that will resonate with HR professionals: the use of routine workplace requests as leverage. Her filing says the supervisor treated paid time off and supply requests as personal favors and reminded her that he "had Jason's ear" — a reference to a company director — leaving her with the sense that complaining would go nowhere.
What happened after they complained
All three women say they reported the conduct internally and that the response fell short. Scott-Iverson alleges UnitedHealthcare "failed to immediately separate TORRES from his supervisory role" after she complained. Barbas, who filed an internal complaint in March 2025, says "no action was taken the following day" and that contact from the supervisor continued by phone and text. Hall, who also complained in March 2025, alleges the company "took no immediate corrective action."
Each woman filed a charge with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on August 1, 2025, and received a Notice of Right to Sue on March 2, 2026, before heading to federal court.
The allegations have not been tested in court. UnitedHealthcare and the supervisor have not yet filed a response, and no judge has ruled on the claims.
