Alleged racist remarks, a mental health crisis, and a termination — all within weeks
A Pilot Travel Centers employee says she was fired on approved FMLA leave — after reporting a manager's alleged racist remarks that were not appropriately addressed.
Cheria Richards, a Deli Associate at a Pilot Travel Centers location in Morris, Illinois, filed a federal lawsuit on March 2 in the Northern District of Illinois, alleging race and disability discrimination, harassment, failure to accommodate, and retaliation.
According to the filing, Richards had worked for the company since around May 2022 and was recognized as the top Deli employee for three consecutive years at her previous store in Bloomington, Illinois. She was transferred to the Morris location on or about June 5, 2025.
The lawsuit alleges that shortly after her arrival, the store's General Manager made a discriminatory remark, stating he wanted to transfer Richards again because "this store is all white, let me transfer you somewhere else with more of your kind of people." Richards, who is African American, says she told the manager she had no issue working with people of any race and had thrived at the Bloomington store, where many of her coworkers were Caucasian.
According to the filing, Richards reported the remarks to her Deli Manager, who did not take appropriate action to address the behavior. On or about June 19, the lawsuit alleges, that same manager began criticizing Richards' prep speed — despite having assigned three days' worth of tasks in a single morning.
What followed, according to court documents, is a sequence HR professionals will find uncomfortably familiar. The alleged hostility led to a mental health crisis on or about June 21, 2025. Richards was admitted to a mental health facility for eight days and, while there, completed the necessary documentation for FMLA leave, which was approved through August 21, 2025.
The filing states that on or about July 15, Richards called the Morris store to ask about short-term disability benefits and was told she had been terminated for "not showing up for scheduled shifts." Her approved leave still had more than five weeks remaining.
The lawsuit also alleges the company never engaged in the interactive process required under the Americans with Disabilities Act to explore accommodations for Richards' mental health condition, which she says affects her ability to cope with extreme stress and anxiety in high-pressure work environments.
The case raises nine counts under federal employment law, including disability discrimination, race discrimination, harassment, failure to accommodate, and retaliation. Richards is seeking back pay, front pay, compensatory and punitive damages, and other relief. A jury trial has been demanded.
Pilot Travel Centers has not yet responded to the lawsuit, and no court determination has been made on the merits of the claims.
For HR leaders, the sequence described in this filing reads as a case study in escalation — a reported remark that was allegedly not appropriately addressed, working conditions that allegedly worsened, a medical leave event, and a termination during protected leave. Each step, as alleged, connects to the next. Whether or not the claims are ultimately proven, the pattern outlined in the case is one that warrants attention from any employer managing frontline operations across multiple locations.
