A former employee is taking legal action against a company, alleging racial and disability discrimination. On February 17, 2026, Tiffany Thurman-Hart filed a complaint in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio against The Martin-Brower Company, LLC. The lawsuit accuses the company of multiple violations, including unlawful racial discrimination under 42 U.S.C. § 1981 and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as well as disability discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Tiffany Thurman-Hart began her employment with The Martin-Brower Company on May 26, 2023, as an HR Generalist at their Fairfield, Ohio distribution center. She reported to Crystal Crisler and received positive evaluations for her performance. However, in October 2023, a confrontation with Michelle Willingham, a newly hired Health & Safety Manager, marked the beginning of a series of alleged discriminatory actions against her. Willingham reportedly screamed at Thurman-Hart using profanity and physically threatened her over an incident involving an injured worker seeking medical treatment.
Despite reporting this behavior to her supervisor Crisler and expecting resolution through discussions with higher management such as Karl Smith and Joe Hartman, no effective action was taken against Willingham. Instead, Thurman-Hart faced increasing anxiety and stress at work due to unresolved issues. After Crisler left the company in April 2024, Thurman-Hart’s workload increased significantly without additional support from management.
In September 2024, she applied for medical leave under FMLA due to a back injury exacerbated by a degenerative spine disease. Upon returning from leave in November 2024, she found that her job responsibilities had been reduced significantly while other employees took over her previous duties. Her new manager Darrell Robinson expressed surprise at her return and questioned what work to assign her.
Thurman-Hart claims that these changes were retaliatory actions linked to her race and disability status. She further alleges that after participating in an ethics questionnaire where she reiterated complaints about Willingham’s conduct, she received an unjustly negative performance review from Robinson for the year 2024—a period during which they worked together for only about 25 days.
On March 19, 2025, Thurman-Hart was terminated from her position without prior warning or adherence to typical disciplinary procedures outlined by the company’s guidelines. She argues that similarly situated Caucasian employees who engaged in misconduct were not subjected to similar termination practices.
The lawsuit seeks damages for lost wages and benefits due to wrongful termination based on racial bias and failure to accommodate disabilities as required by law. It also calls for punitive damages against The Martin-Brower Company for its alleged discriminatory practices.
Representing Tiffany Thurman-Hart is attorney Bradley L. Gibson from Gibson Law LLC based in Cincinnati. The case is presided over by Judge Michael R. Barrett under Case ID: 1:26-cv-00165-MRB.
Source: 126cv00165_Thurman_Hart_v_The_Martin_Brower_Company_LLC_Complaint_Southern_District_Ohio.pdf
