A former Lebanon, N.H.-based Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center chaplain filed a lawsuit against the hospital April 17 in U.S. District Court, alleging the hospital and his direct supervisor engaged in discrimination and wrongfully terminated him last year, according to Valley News.
Here are four things to know about the case.
1. The Rev. John Nwagbaraocha, 64, emigrated to the U.S. from Nigeria, according to the April 17 court filing. He was fired from DHMC Nov. 8, 2017. Hospital officials allegedly told him he was fired for failing to develop clarity in communication, failing to develop skills as a spiritual care provider to an interdisciplinary team, failing to foster emotional self-awareness, and failing to refrain from being defensive upon receipt of feedback, the report states.
2. However, according to court documents obtained by Valley News, Mr. Nwagbaraocha claimed hospital officials discriminated against him based on his national origin, race, religion and age. In his lawsuit, Mr. Nwagbaraocha claims he was fired, in part, because of his "accented speech and Nigerian manner of communicating" and required to change his "essential character and demeanor in order to keep his position as hospital chaplain," which violated the federal Civil Rights Act and Age Discrimination Employment Act as well as various state laws, according to the report.
3. Hospital officials confirmed to the publication that Mr. Nwagbaraocha worked at the hospital from 2000 to 2014. However, Mr. Nwagbaraocha claimed he continued to receive satisfactory performance evaluations until September 2016, when he received a written warning claiming he "communicated a sense of criticism and judgmentalism" during two separate incidents.
4. Jennifer Gilkie, vice president of communications and marketing for Dartmouth-Hitchcock, told the publication the institution does not comment on pending litigation, stating, "As a matter of policy Dartmouth-Hitchcock is prohibited from responding to inquiries about matters in pending litigation."
To access the full Valley News report, click here.