Latest news with #DebraJones
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
North Carolina woman sues former employer over Chucky doll prank she claims gave her PTSD
A former bank employee has filed a lawsuit against Truist Bank alleging discrimination and retaliation after she said a prank involving the doll Chucky exacerbated her anxiety disorder, according to several reports. Debra Jones claims in the lawsuit that despite knowing she had a fear of dolls, her manager placed a Chucky doll, "the doll that kills people," on her chair in her office, the New York Post reported. Jones claimed in the lawsuit that after the incident she was diagnosed with PTSD, saying she had shared her fear of dolls with her manager at a company cookout and that it affected her disabilities, which include generalized anxiety disorder, major depressive disorder and the autoimmune disorder vitiligo, WRAL-TV reported. Jones claimed she was treated differently when she returned to work last year following two months of medical leave, accusing the bank of retaliating against her for needing to leave at 3 p.m. to treat her autoimmune disorder. City Employee Accused Of Planting Noose On Her Own Desk At Pennsylvania City Hall In Alleged Staged Hate Crime After Jones returned to a new office and new manager she was "subjected to discrimination and retaliation based on her being a qualified individual with disabilities," according to the complaint. Read On The Fox News App Clown Seen Outside Schools Sparks Fear, Leads Education Company To Apologize Her supervisors claimed that her coworkers "also needed time off," the lawsuit said, according to the station. Jones was let go in March after a manager told her she couldn't keep using her disabilities as an excuse, the lawsuit claimed, People magazine reported. Chucky comes from the 1988 horror movie "Child's Play," in which a dead serial killer inhabits a boy's doll and kills people. The lawsuit, filed in North Carolina in May, claims the bank violated the Americans with Disabilities Act and Jones is seeking compensatory damages. Fox News Digital has reached out to Truist Bank for article source: North Carolina woman sues former employer over Chucky doll prank she claims gave her PTSD
Fox News
14 hours ago
- Fox News
North Carolina woman sues former employer over Chucky doll prank she claims gave her PTSD
A former bank employee has filed a lawsuit against Truist Bank alleging discrimination and retaliation after she said a prank involving the doll Chucky exacerbated her anxiety disorder, according to several reports. Debra Jones claims in the lawsuit that despite knowing she had a fear of dolls, her manager placed a Chucky doll, "the doll that kills people," on her chair in her office, the New York Post reported. Jones claimed in the lawsuit that after the incident she was diagnosed with PTSD, saying she had shared her fear of dolls with her manager at a company cookout and that it affected her disabilities, which include generalized anxiety disorder, major depressive disorder and the autoimmune disorder vitiligo, WRAL-TV reported. Jones claimed she was treated differently when she returned to work last year following two months of medical leave, accusing the bank of retaliating against her for needing to leave at 3 p.m. to treat her autoimmune disorder. After Jones returned to a new office and new manager she was "subjected to discrimination and retaliation based on her being a qualified individual with disabilities," according to the complaint. Her supervisors claimed that her coworkers "also needed time off," the lawsuit said, according to the station. Jones was let go in March after a manager told her she couldn't keep using her disabilities as an excuse, the lawsuit claimed, People magazine reported. Chucky comes from the 1988 horror movie "Child's Play," in which a dead serial killer inhabits a boy's doll and kills people. The lawsuit, filed in North Carolina in May, claims the bank violated the Americans with Disabilities Act and Jones is seeking compensatory damages. Fox News Digital has reached out to Truist Bank for comment.
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Daily Mail
Banker with fear of dolls sues employer after boss left a Chucky toy on her chair
A former banker with a deep-seated fear of dolls has claimed she has suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ever since her 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 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.
