Banker with fear of dolls sues employer after boss left a Chucky toy on her chair
Debra Jones claims in her lawsuit filed in the US District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina that her supervisors at Truist subjected her to workplace discrimination and created a hostile work environment - causing her emotional and financial harm.
Jones had already been diagnosed with major depressive disorder, general anxiety disorder, autoimmune disorder and vitiligo when she was hired as a full-time relationship banker in April 2024 in Rocky Mount, according to court documents obtained by DailyMail.com.
She claims she suffered discrimination and retaliation at the Charlotte-based bank due to those disabilities, and the Chucky incident caused her to be newly diagnosed with PTSD.
Chucky is a fictional character in horror slasher films about a doll possessed by a serial killer. The first film, Child's Play, was released in 1988 and numerous sequels have followed.
It all went down in June 2024, during her last week of training, when Jones claims her manager at the time, Matthew Korr, placed 'the doll that kills people' in her chair.
She says Korr 'was aware of her fear of dolls and how her fear of dolls negatively affected her disabilities, as Plaintiff had shared this with Korr when he had invited Plaintiff to his home for a team cookout.'
When he then saw how Jones reacted, Korr allegedly started to laugh.
Immediately after the incident, Jones said she had to be treated by her medical provider - and was placed on eight weeks of medical leave to treat her disabilities.
She finally returned to work in August 2024, and was assigned to a new manager, Jennifer Briley, who said she was aware of the Chucky incident and moved Jones to a different office.
Yet, Jones said her treatment at the bank became worse as she continued to face mockery, and was subjected to unequal treatment related to her job and her workplace accommodations.
'Plaintiff contends that Plaintiff and her coworkers alike were subjected to making some mistakes, but Plaintiff was treated differently than her coworkers when she made mistakes,' the lawsuit asserts.
It also claims Jones had an accommodation to leave work at 3pm three times a week to seek treatment 'for flare-ups that started as a result of the Chucky doll incident.'
But Jones said Briley once told her she would have to work until 4pm.
Then, after Jones said she discovered a fraudulent check, Briley joked that she was 'always fraudulent vigilant' as supervisors started questioning her need for medical leave and aggressively reprimanded her.
By January 29, 2025, the lawsuit says, Tracy Wood - the regional area leader at Truist - told her her accommodation was negatively affecting her coworkers who also needed time off.
'Wood further stated to Plaintiff that Wood did not believe this job was the right fit for Plaintiff and that Plaintiff cannot keep using her anxiety and emotional problems as an excuse,' the federal suit claims.
Jones said she suffered several panic attacks in the aftermath, and was ultimately forced out of her job.
As a result, Jones says she 'suffered and will continue to suffer emotional pain and suffering, inconvenience, embarrassment [and] mental anguish.'
She now argues that Truist bank is liable for the actions of its supervisors and employers - or is at least liable for its negligent supervision, and even though her managers are named in the suit, they are not listed as defendants.
Jones is seeking a jury trial with compensatory damages for her emotional pain, backpay and reinstatement.
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