Former Lehigh Valley Health employee Patti Kopko is suing the network, Lehigh Valley Hospital in Salisbury Township and her former boss, Kimberly Prokurat. The lawsuit alleges Ms. Prokurat created a hostile environment for workers over the age of 40, according to the report.
The lawsuit also alleges Ms. Prokurat kept a list of employees she wished to get rid of, all of whom were older than 40. The suit claims she asked Ms. Kopko to write negative evaluations for two of those employees, The Express-Times reported.
Ms. Kopko was eventually terminated in 2009 after about 18 years of employment. Lehigh Valley claims she was let go for violating HIPAA and hospital policy, while Ms. Kopko alleges she was terminated because she regularly complained about Ms. Prokurat’s actions, according to the report.
Lehigh Valley Health Network’s director of media relations declined to comment to The Express-Times. According to him, the network had not received a copy of the complaint at the time of the report’s publication.
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