Employee sues U.S. Bank for firing her months after HR complaint

Warren, a Black woman, alleges she first flagged concerns about disparate treatment to senior management in 2020. The bank, she claims, said it would look into the matter but ultimately took no meaningful action. By May 2025, she escalated further, filing a formal written complaint with human resources describing what she characterized as discriminatory and retaliatory conduct by senior managers — including racially coded criticisms of her communication style, the repeated diversion of her bonus pay to male colleagues, and her exclusion from the career-advancing opportunities routinely extended to White male peers. 

According to the filing, HR concluded the investigation with a “no finding” determination. Warren alleges the managers she had named in her complaint continued to supervise her, and the environment grew worse. She claims leadership eventually stopped communicating with her directly, requiring her to funnel all workplace interactions through a single intermediary — a condition she says no similarly situated White male colleague was subjected to. 

On November 19, 2025, roughly six months after her HR complaint, Warren alleges she was fired during a 5- to 10-minute video call. No HR representative was present. Her manager, Qasim Khan, reportedly told her the position had been eliminated. Warren claims she later discovered the role was not eliminated at all — a White male was installed to take over her responsibilities, and the business she had supported was, in fact, expanding. 

The filing also highlights a workload concern that many HR professionals will recognize. Warren alleges she was required to absorb a second portfolio when a colleague went on maternity leave, effectively performing two jobs without any adjustment to her compensation or support. 

Perhaps most striking for those who manage workplace culture: Warren alleges a colleague, Heather Leonhardt, experienced similar treatment from the same senior manager — suggesting, as the filing frames it, a pattern rather than an isolated incident.