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...
By Jonathan Stempel NEW YORK, Feb 23 (Reuters) – Bayer sued Johnson & Johnson on Monday, accusing the drugmaker of falsely advertising a rival multibillion-dollar drug to treat prostate cancer...