Sacramento, California — A former employee of the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) has filed a lawsuit claiming workplace discrimination, harassment, and employee retaliation. This SMUD retaliation lawsuit, filed on September 5 in Sacramento County Superior Court, marks the second lawsuit against the utility in recent years.
Robert Adams, a former procurement manager at SMUD, alleges that the company retaliated against him after he raised concerns about racial discrimination against a colleague.
Adams claims SMUD disregarded his complaints and subjected him to retaliatory actions, including write-ups and a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) to discourage him from engaging in further protected activity.
Adams, who began working at SMUD in March 2020, asserts that the PIP was used to threaten his job security, stating that it contained language suggesting termination if he did not “meet expectations.” He also alleges that SMUD fabricated facts and pressured him to sign a formal warning without allowing him to review it.
In response, SMUD issued a statement denying the allegations and asserting that a third-party investigation found the claims without merit. The utility stated it would “vigorously defend” itself against the lawsuit and reaffirmed its commitment to diversity and inclusion.
This lawsuit follows a separate legal case involving four African American SMUD employees, who also alleged racial discrimination.
