Woman wins discrimination lawsuit against FedEx

Sheryl Hubbell worked at a FedEx facility in Belleville for eight years.

“I liked working there and I hoped to move into management, as far as I could go to the top.”

Things changed when Hubbell got a new boss. He told her this:

“He preferred to promote males over females and that males were more attuned to leadership roles in his opinion and that females were more attuned to secretarial or administrative roles,” said Ray Guzall, Hubbell’s attorney.

Hubbell knew she was being discriminated against and she still wanted to advance in the company.

She went to human resources. She told human resources that in her opinion she was being discriminated against because she was a female,” said Guzall.

“They did nothing. Human resources didn’t draft a report, they didn’t do an investigation, they did absolutely nothing. Ms. Hubbell was then forced to file a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.”

Then Hubbell hired attorneys Ray Guzall and Omar Najor. They filed a lawsuit against FedEx. Months later, Hubbell was fired from her job.

“It was hard. I was trying to stay employed with the company. I think FedEx and the management staff took every opportunity to try and either force me to quit or fire me,” said Hubbell.

“In the trial, one of the witnesses testified that they treated Sheryl Hubbell like a dog,” said Guzall. “Another witness testified that they targeted her and they made her life hell.”

After five days came the verdict. Last Friday, Hubbell was awarded more than $519,000 in punitive damages.

“Over a half a million dollars telling FedEx what you do is wrong,” said Guzall. "Don't treat your employees like this in the future.”

Fox 2 reached out to FedEx for a response. They did email us back. They say, “FedEx Ground is committed to maintaining a work environment that is free from discrimination and retaliation of any kind.” They say they disagree respectfully with the decision and are reviewing their legal options.