She says the basement cubicle was just the start - then the merit raise hit
A former University of Pennsylvania finance director says she was sidelined, denied a basic accommodation, and pushed out because she is Black.
Marille Heallis filed a lawsuit on May 13, 2026 in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, accusing the Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania of race and disability discrimination and retaliation. The claims rest on Title VII, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act, and the Philadelphia Fair Practices Ordinance.
The case lays out a pattern that HR leaders will recognize - title disparity, a delayed accommodation, a thin "redundancy" rationale - all in one filing against a major university employer.
Heallis was hired in November 2023 as Assistant Director of Finance and Administration. According to the complaint, roughly four other directors on her team carried the title of Associate Director. So did her Hispanic predecessor, who, the filing states, did the same job tasks. Heallis, who is African American, says she was the only person in leadership in her office not given the higher title.
Her direct supervisor was Maureen O'Leary, Associate Vice Provost for Research, Environmental Health, and Radiation Safety. The complaint alleges colleagues warned Heallis that African American women had a very high turnover rate under O'Leary, and that every Black woman who worked under her during her...
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