The CEO promised action on racism. She was the only one on her team let go
A former Abbott scientist says she reported racism to the CEO and five HR professionals were assigned to investigate. None delivered.
Virginia Brown, who held the title of Senior Research Scientist before her termination, filed suit on February 20, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio. Her claims span race discrimination, disability discrimination, retaliation, and breach of contract.
But what makes this case worth reading for anyone in HR is the alleged chain of failure.
According to the lawsuit, Brown raised her concerns directly with Robert Ford, Abbott's chief executive, reporting a hostile work environment, being passed over for promotions while less qualified colleagues advanced, and receiving smaller raises than white male peers. Ford, the suit says, assigned five people to look into it: Essex Michell in Employee Relations, Mary K. Moreland, Senior Vice President of Corporate Human Resources, Director Sarah Schmit, HR Director Jada Malone, and Sharon Larson, Manager of Employee Relations.
Brown says each of them "did absolutely nothing but provide excuses and report back to Mr. Ford that everything was handled" — while her concerns went unresolved.
The filing also describes a meeting Ford convened with over 160 people roughly two months after the murder of George Floyd in 2020. Brown says Ford acknowledged at that meeting that the company harbored "unconscious bias and racism," that management leaders "were not willing to take chances on people of color," and that he was concerned about low numbers of Black employees and their concentration in lower-grade positions. He assured the Black employees present that their issues would be addressed and resolved.
What followed, according to Brown, was the opposite. Her stock options were reduced. Her annual raise came in below a company-announced 4% minimum despite a good performance review. Her direct manager, Joseph Carlos, described her as "mean, distant, defensive and direct" — labels she says were never applied to young white males with similar traits. Carlos, she says, publicly questioned her competence while simultaneously refusing to let her transfer off a project because it "could not afford to fail" without her.
On February 21, 2024, Brown went on short-term disability for a rotator cuff injury and Major Depression Disorder. While she was on leave, she was informed her position was being eliminated due to a plant closure in California. According to the filing, she was the only member of her team who was not reassigned or transferred.
The case has not been decided and Abbott has not responded to the claims. But for HR professionals, the allegations present a stark outline: discrimination concerns reaching the CEO, a bench of senior HR leaders deployed to respond, and — if the account holds — a complete failure to follow through.
Brown is seeking back pay, front pay or reinstatement, punitive damages, pain and suffering, and compensatory and non-economic damages in excess of $75,000, along with attorneys' fees, costs, and pre- and post-judgment interest.
