She says she flagged patient safety risks and discrimination — then lost her job
Novo Nordisk is facing a federal lawsuit from a former employee who says she was fired for raising concerns about race discrimination and patient safety.
Tari K. Johnson, who spent seven years as a Senior Clinical Research Associate at the pharmaceutical giant, filed the suit on April 13, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida (Johnson v. Novo Nordisk Inc., Case No. 0:26-cv-61080-DSL). The 11-count action alleges race discrimination, retaliation, a hostile work environment, FMLA retaliation, and whistleblower retaliation under both federal and Florida law.
Johnson, who was the only Black CRA in her division, alleges that starting in late 2022 she repeatedly flagged problems with clinical trial practices involving cognitively impaired Alzheimer's patients. Among her concerns: patients were allegedly being asked to review and sign consent documents exceeding 30 pages in as little as five to fifteen minutes. She says she raised these issues in visit reports, team meetings, and directly with supervisors and study leadership. According to the filing, the company did not take corrective action.
What followed, Johnson alleges, was a pattern of escalating retaliation. After returning from FMLA leave in October 2023 for a serious medical condition involving loss of vision, she was reassigned to a different supervisor who she says minimized her compliance concerns. A...
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