On Thursday, a former zone manager in the housekeeping department filed a lawsuit against the University, specifically naming Darius Dixon, housekeeping services director; Gena Carter, senior director of employee and management relations; and Ben Triplett, assistant director of housing.
Clifton Leon Webb’s suit said former housekeeping services director Bill Burston would fire black housekeepers to bring in Asian housekeepers, who would reciprocate the new job with sexual favors for Burston. Webb said he was demoted and eventually fired for bringing this information to his superiors.
“Plaintiff noticed that Director Burston would terminate the employment of numerous black or African-American employees for pretextual reasons to create vacant positions in which to hire employees from Asian countries in exchange for sex and/or sexual favors,” the lawsuit reads.
Jim Gregory, a spokesman for the University, said it is UNC’s policy not to comment on pending litigation.
“We can’t provide any further details at this time,” Gregory said in an email.
The suit says Webb informed University ombudsman Wayne Blair about the situation, and the information of Burston’s hiring practices eventually made its way to Carolyn Elfland, former associate vice chancellor for facility services, and Ann Penn, former vice chancellor for Equal Employment Opportunity/American Disabilities Act.
After Webb made his observations known, the suit says the housekeeping department began to work to fire him.
“On information and belief, UNC-CH’s ‘reassignment’ of Plaintiff ... was a planned step taken by Defendants to ‘build a case’ against Plaintiff for the pretextual purpose of dismissing his employment without just cause,” the lawsuit said.