Former Goldman Sachs Executive Alleges Homophobia Reason for His Termination

A former executive for Goldman Sachs alleges he was subjected to homophobic harassment and that anti-gay views from his superiors were the primary reason for his termination.

The claimant is William Littleton, who has filed a whistleblower lawsuit in the state of New York. According to his complaint, he had reported the consistent teasing and harassment about his sexuality internally. Employees of the company allegedly said he sounded “too gay” and teased that he missed work because of a post-Pride parade hangover.

He documented a number of issues of this sort of harassment over the course of his career at Goldman, beginning with an incident in March 2014 when he was excluded from a conference call for sounding “too gay.”

Littleton was ultimately fired despite outstanding reviews from other employees at the company, including a manager who had allegedly harassed him. He claims his case is just one more example of how major companies (particularly those with few LGBT higher-ups) often fail to take discrimination allegations against gay employees seriously.

LGBT represents a protected class

All people have the right to go to work and not be harassed by their coworkers or supervisors. In addition, discrimination against any employee or applicant based on their membership of a protected class (such as sexuality) is illegal and punishable under federal law.

If you have been a witness or victim of incidents of harassment or discrimination in the workplace or believe you were terminated for prejudicial reasons, it is important you speak to an attorney to discuss your legal options. Contact an experienced whistleblower lawyer at Kardell Law Group for further guidance.