Bad habit: Nuns show no mercy for hurt NYC maintenance man: lawsuit
Life was hell for an Irish Catholic maintenance worker for the Sisters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul in the Bronx — where his Protestant boss allegedly bashed him as a 'Catholic f–k' and a 'dumb Irish bastard.'
And the nuns were mean too – complaining about Michael Carr's limp after he fell from a ladder, he said in court papers.
3 Michael Carr said he loved working for the Sisters of Charity — until no one helped him after his boss allegedly unleashed a torrent of racist abuse at him.
Helayne Seidman
Carr, 57, treasured his work fixing up the Riverdale property, until director Kevin Van Tassell sent a slew of hate his way — even calling him the N-word, he claimed in a Manhattan Federal Court lawsuit.
Van Tassell repeatedly texted him the vile slur, as well as calling him a 'mick,' 'Catholic f–k,' 'Irish f–k' he claimed in court papers.
The lifelong Catholic, who grew up attending St. Margaret of Cortona in the Bronx and proudly showed his mother around his new job after he was hired in 2017, said the abuse was intolerable.
3 Carr claims he was wrongly terminated after complaining of discrimination.
Helayne Seidman
'It got to the point where I couldn't take it any more,' an emotional Carr told The Post. 'I was putting up with it. . . . He would call nuns old c–ts and I'm like, 'OMG.' He'd say, 'Hey ya big dumb Irish f–k' or 'What's up ya mick.' It could go on and on.'
When he complained, Carr said he was ignored for weeks before supervisors scheduled a mediation between him and Van Tassell, who failed to show up at the meeting with human resources, according to the litigation.
'Do you know what it's like when no one will listen to you, no matter what direction you turn?' Carr said. 'Nobody wanted to know. They all knew, but they didn't want to know.'
After being lauded on the job for years for his work ethic, Carr claims he was seriously hurt in October 2023 when he fell from a ladder while investigating an awning in need of repair, breaking his tibia and fibula and leaving him in need of several surgeries.
3 Carr said his foot was 'destroyed' after falling off a ladder while on the job — and claims he was told nuns complained about his work after his injury slowed him down.
Helayne Seidman
When he was finally able to return to work, the reception he got was far less than charitable, claimed Carr, who said he walked with a limp and was slower than in the past.
'The sisters are complaining,' Carr claimed he was told.
'I tried my hardest to make this work. My foot is destroyed. I have to get more surgery. The second day in I was told I was working too slow, and 'You're limping,' 'You're taking too long,'' he said.
He was then sent home and weeks later, received a letter firing him, said Carr, who is seeking unspecified damages for wrongful termination.
'Hopefully this organization will take a hard look at itself,' said Carr's attorney, Joseph Jeziorkowski. 'It's the organization's responsibility to take action when an employee is going through something like this.'
Van Tassell refused comment. The Sisters of Charity declined comment.
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