An Englewood (N.J) Hospital employee sued the hospital for negligence, claiming officials created a hostile environment after he reported finding a noose in his workspace in 2017, according to northjersey.com.
Four things to know:
1. Patrick O'Reilly filed a complaint against the hospital in May 2018. He alleged in the lawsuit that Englewood Hospital did not "observe and enforce rules regarding bullying and victimization of employees," the report states.
2. Mr. O'Reilly, who is African-American, had worked in the hospital's medical supply department for 10 years before the incident. He said in the lawsuit he came into work one morning in 2017 to find a three-foot noose in his workspace.
"I felt it was a threat on my life. The whole history of lynching African-Americans, everything I heard as a child, came to mind," Mr. O'Reilly told northjersey.com in a March 6 statement.
3. Mr. O'Reilly said he reported the incident to hospital officials, who confiscated the noose as evidence. However, he claimed officials took the incident lightly and did not inform him of any developments in the investigation. Mr. O'Reilly also claimed he was subjected to micromanaging and criticism by his supervisors after the incident.
4. Hospital officials admitted to finding the noose but denied all allegations of wrongdoing, calling Mr. O'Reilly's lawsuit "frivolous, malicious, vexatious and made in bad faith," according to legal filings obtained by the publication.
To access the full report, click here.