Worker alleges Kaiser Permanente HR rewrote his discrimination complaint

The complaint says that after a new team manager took over in late 2020 and early 2021, Saxena – described as the only person of color on his team – was subjected to a racially “hostile work environment.” It alleges the manager, helped by two colleagues, made “false accusations about his performance” and tried to force him to resign.

For HR leaders, the part worth slowing down on is what allegedly happened next. Saxena says he raised concerns in August 2021, then filed a formal complaint against the manager with Kaiser HR in January 2022. Rather than shield him, the filing says, Kaiser kept him reporting to the very manager he had complained about.

It gets more pointed. Saxena alleges the HR consultant assigned to help him “proofread and rewrote significant portions of his complaint,” and that, on information and belief, she advised him “not to consult an outside attorney and not to file an EEOC complaint.” He also claims Kaiser ran what the complaint calls a “sham” internal inquiry and never handed over the findings. When he asked for the report in January 2025, the filing says, Kaiser told him it could not be found.

The timing is central to his case. The complaint says a “false” and “pretextual” performance improvement plan landed after his protected complaints, wiping out his bonus and merit raise for the first time in his career. It also says a white colleague was promoted into a job Saxena wanted just six days after a complaint meeting – a role, he alleges, that was never posted.

The pressure took a toll, according to the filing. Saxena says he was diagnosed with conditions including Major Depressive Disorder and PTSD, went on medical leave in February 2022, and moved to long-term disability. Kaiser fired him effective March 16, 2023, the complaint says, pointing to his long-term disability status, with no severance and no notice.