AT&T worker alleges demotion landed two days after HR complaint

Shortly after, the filing states, the vice president told the employee during a December 18, 2024 meeting that he was “angry” when he found out she had complained to HR about him.

Over the following months, according to the complaint, the vice president tried to push her out entirely. None of the roles he proposed allowed her to continue her existing work. In one conversation, the filing says, he opened by stating he had “no malicious intent” and did not want her to think he was trying to get rid of her.

In April 2025, the complaint states, a senior executive met with the employee and suggested she move past her EEOC complaints. She asked for her position back. Instead, the filing alleges, a transfer was arranged to a different division – one that did not have an available headcount – and she was encouraged to accept it for her health.

She took the transfer in June 2025, according to the complaint, to protect her health and stay employed through her pension vesting date of June 9, 2027.

Seven months later, on February 18, 2026, AT&T terminated her. The stated reason, according to the filing, was “job elimination” due to “ongoing restructuring” – which the complaint says directly contradicted assurances she received when she accepted the transfer.