In a striking legal move, a former employee has accused his previous employer of racial discrimination and retaliation, sparking significant attention to workplace equality issues. Curtis T. Reed filed a complaint against Inland Residential Real Estate Services, LLC in the Circuit Court for the Sixth Judicial Circuit in Pinellas County, Florida on November 13, 2024. The lawsuit alleges that Inland Residential Real Estate Services engaged in discriminatory practices that violated the Florida Civil Rights Act.
Curtis T. Reed, a 50-year-old Black male residing in Pinellas County, was employed by Inland from September 14, 2023, until May 1, 2024. During his tenure as a Maintenance Supervisor at the Addison on Long Bayou property in Seminole, Florida, Reed claims he faced persistent racial discrimination from his supervisor, Trisha Sweet. According to the complaint, Sweet exhibited "a rude, unprofessional, and racially discriminatory attitude" towards Reed from the outset of his employment. Reed asserts that Sweet refused to provide necessary training and assistance with work-related tasks while increasing his workload unfairly compared to other employees.
Reed's allegations include instances where Sweet reportedly made racially charged comments and actions. For example, during a candidate interview process for a maintenance technician position on March 12, 2024, Sweet allegedly expressed preference for a White candidate over a Hispanic one due to language barriers despite both candidates being equally qualified according to Reed's assessment. Additionally, Reed recounts being excluded from office communications and facing false accusations regarding his work performance.
The plaintiff further contends that after he reported these incidents of discrimination to higher management and HR representatives like Robert Post and others within the company structure—he faced retaliatory actions instead of support or intervention. On several occasions when Reed sought help or clarification about work processes such as clocking into Yardi software or addressing workload concerns—Sweet allegedly ignored him or provided no assistance.
Asserting violations under Chapter 760 of the Florida Statutes—the Florida Civil Rights Act (FCRA)—Reed seeks damages exceeding $50,000 for loss of income opportunities along with emotional distress caused by these experiences at Inland Residential Real Estate Services LLC. He is pursuing declaratory relief alongside compensatory damages covering lost wages/benefits both past/future plus attorney fees incurred during this legal battle against alleged unlawful practices by his former employer.
Representing Curtis T. Reed are attorneys Jason W. Imler and Alberto “Tito” Gonzalez from Imler Law based out of Lutz Florida; they demand trial by jury aiming for justice through court proceedings led under Case Number:24-004988-CI before judges yet unnamed within Pinellas County jurisdiction.