Three former employees of Atlanta-based PulteGroup have filed a lawsuit that alleges a vice president brought a noose to a meeting and warned employees not to hang themselves.
The lawsuit, filed in a Michigan circuit court where PulteGroup is incorporated, alleges the homebuilding giant created a hostile work environment. At least two Black employees were among the attendees at the “all hands training” meeting in November 2019 at the PulteGroup Georgia division.
One of the three Black plaintiffs, Idus Hartsfield, was at the meeting and complained to the vice president of human resources about it, according to the lawsuit filed earlier this month in Circuit Court in Ingham County in Michigan. But the suit alleges that management did not reprimand the executive.
PulteGroup, a Fortune 500 company, was founded in metro Detroit but moved to Atlanta in 2013. The company is based in a tower overlooking Ga. 400 in Buckhead.
PulteGroup reported first quarter revenue of $3.57 billion, up nearly 14% from the same period a year ago. Net income, meanwhile, grew 17% to $532.2 million for the first three months of the year.
Credit: Source: Zausmer law firm
Credit: Source: Zausmer law firm
The lawsuit also alleges PulteGroup created a hostile work environment for the plaintiffs, and unlawfully retaliated against Hartsfield after his complaint by writing him up and then terminating his employment in May 2020. Hartsfield had worked for Pulte since 2016 when he was hired as a customer care manager in the warranty department.
The alleged misconduct “is in total contradiction to PulteGroup’s public image of equality and inclusivity,” according to the complaint, which cited the company’s diversity board founded in 2020 and other diversity and inclusion efforts.
“PulteGroup’s senior executives promoted White employees loyal to them, rather than Black and other minority employees,” the suit alleges.
In a statement, PulteGroup said it “is unwavering in its commitment to diversity and inclusion.”
“The allegations are reprehensible and will not be tolerated,” the company said. “PulteGroup strives to maintain, promote and advance a work culture where all people are valued, respected and heard. Diversity is embraced and integrated throughout our organization and the communities in which we do business. This is critical to our mission and vision.”
The lawsuit also says the supervisor of the executive who brought the noose to the meeting was later fired. PulteGroup announced in December 2022 that then-senior vice president Brandon Jones had been terminated after an investigation found he violated the company’s code of ethical and business conduct.
Credit: TNS
Credit: TNS
Another plaintiff in the suit, Richard Turnbow, started at PulteGroup as an assistant customer service representative in January 2022 and alleges that after he arrived late to a meeting, he was instructed to collect trash in the office instead of attending the meeting. He left the company last October.
The third plaintiff, Roderick Hunter, was hired as a field manager in 2021 and then terminated the same year, and alleges he was “set up for failure from the very start.”
The lawsuit seeks more than $25,000 in damages for each of three violations of the Michigan civil rights act prohibiting discrimination.
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