PNC fired her over a one-letter typo. Now she’s suing for retaliation

In January 2024, she asked for a workplace accommodation: an additional 15-minute break, as needed, to take medication. The filing states she submitted her physician’s paperwork on January 26, 2024, followed up again in May, and was still awaiting a decision in August. 

The case turns on a bereavement leave request. In late July 2024, two of Chambers’ fiancé’s family members – a great-uncle and an aunt – died within days of each other. Her supervisor approved the leave but, according to the complaint, asked for obituaries and daily email updates. In one email, Chambers spelled the deceased aunt’s name “Erica” instead of “Erikka.” She later explained, the filing says, that she had used the traditional spelling and had been under the impression that was how the name was spelled until she saw the obituary. 

That single keystroke, the filing alleges, triggered everything that followed. On August 22, 2024, PNC HR representative Danielle Grossman called Chambers and questioned the family relationship, citing the misspelling and the fact that Chambers’ fiancé did not share a surname with the deceased. According to the complaint, Grossman placed Chambers on same-day suspension and demanded her fiancé’s birth certificate, a written breakdown of his family lineage, and additional obituaries showing matching names elsewhere in the family. 

Chambers says she sent everything except the birth certificate, which her fiancé would not authorize. Four days later, on August 26, 2024, PNC fired her for “dishonesty.” 

The complaint argues the dishonesty rationale was a cover. It alleges the bereavement inquiry was disproportionate, that employees without FMLA history were not subjected to similar scrutiny, and that the termination landed while Chambers’ intermittent FMLA request was still pending. Chambers also says earlier complaints to HR about two supervisors went nowhere. According to the filing, one of them, Celeste Griffin, told coworkers, “people die, people are sad every day, but this is a business and you need to focus on the numbers.” A second, Dan Weber, allegedly told Chambers “nobody likes you.”