Felicia Alford v. Pasco-Pinellas Hillsborough Community Health System, Inc. d/b/a AdventHealth Wesley Chapel

CourtDistrict Court, M.D. Florida
DecidedNovember 25, 2025
Docket8:25-cv-00094
StatusUnknown

This text of Felicia Alford v. Pasco-Pinellas Hillsborough Community Health System, Inc. d/b/a AdventHealth Wesley Chapel (Felicia Alford v. Pasco-Pinellas Hillsborough Community Health System, Inc. d/b/a AdventHealth Wesley Chapel) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, M.D. Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Felicia Alford v. Pasco-Pinellas Hillsborough Community Health System, Inc. d/b/a AdventHealth Wesley Chapel, (M.D. Fla. 2025).

Opinion

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT MIDDLE DISTRICT OF FLORIDA TAMPA DIVISION

FELICIA ALFORD,

Plaintiff,

v. Case No. 8:25-cv-94-VMC-SPF

PASCO-PINELLAS HILLSBOROUGH COMMUNITY HEALTH SYSTEM, INC. d/b/a ADVENTHEALTH WESLEY CHAPEL,

Defendant. /

ORDER This matter is before the Court on consideration of Defendant Pasco-Pinellas Hillsborough Community Health System, Inc.’s (“AdventHealth”) “Motion to Dismiss Counts I through IV of Plaintiff’s Second Amended Complaint, as to the Claims Brought Pursuant to Title VII and the FCRA, with Prejudice” (Doc. # 49), filed on June 27, 2025. Plaintiff Felicia Alford responded on July 24, 2025 (Doc. # 60), and, with leave of Court, AdventHealth filed a reply on August 11, 2025. (Doc. # 63). For the reasons that follow, the Motion is granted. I. Background:

A. Ms. Alford’s Tenure at AdventHealth Ms. Alford, who is Black and gay, worked as a “PRN Social Worker Care Manager at [AdventHealth’s] hospital in Wesley Chapel” from February 2021 until her termination in June 2024. (Doc. # 45 at ¶¶ 3, 6, 38, 56). Ms. Alford claims that she “was subjected to disparate treatment, different terms and conditions of employment, and held to a different standard because of her race [and] sexual orientation, and has been retaliated against after reporting this discrimination.” (Id. at ¶ 7). Ms. Alford alleges as follows. In July 2021, after Ms. Alford informed Jennifer Iglesias, the Director of Care

Management, that she was unable to work her next shift, Ms. Iglesias “falsely wrote [Ms. Alford] up for alleged performance issues.” (Id. at ¶¶ 8-10). Employees who were not Black “were not subjected” to such “corrective action.” (Id. at ¶ 11). In February 2022, after Ms. Iglesias learned that that Ms. Alford had a girlfriend, Ms. Iglesias’s “behavior towards [Ms. Alford] worsened due to [her] sexual orientation.” (Id. at ¶ 12). On May 24, 2022, Sheila Hammond, the Supervisor of Care Management, denied Ms. Alford’s request to take the afternoon off “to handle a family emergency.” (Id. at ¶¶ 8,13). Ms. Alford then informed Ms. Iglesias that she needed to leave due to the urgent situation. (Id. at ¶ 14). “In contrast, non-black and non-gay employees were allowed to leave work early to handle appointments and

emergencies.” (Id. at ¶ 15). Although Ms. Alford made a complaint to the human resources department in June 2022 regarding Ms. Iglesias’s “disparate treatment and harassment,” AdventHealth “took no remedial action.” (Id. at ¶¶ 16-17). Two days later, Ms. Alford “was written up by” Ms. Iglesias based on false allegations that Ms. Alford was disrespectful when she spoke with Ms. Iglesias about needing to leave work early. (Id. at ¶ 18). Ms. Alford made a second complaint to human resources in December 2023 in which she reported that she “was not allowed to participate in her annual self-evaluation” and that

AdventHealth “never responded to or took any remedial action in regards to her June 2022 complaint.” (Id. at ¶ 21). In January 2024, Ms. Alford heard Ms. Iglesias tell another employee that “she was ‘over’ [Ms. Alford] and that she wished [Ms. Alford] ‘would quit.’” (Id. at ¶ 22). Ms. Iglesias then grabbed Ms. Alford’s arm to stop her from calling human resources. (Id.). After this incident, Ms. Alford was required to sit with her supervisor, Ms. Hammond, during her shifts. (Id. at ¶ 23). No other employees were subject to such restrictions. (Id. at ¶ 24). No remedial action was taken against Ms. Iglesias. (Id. at ¶ 25). In February 2024, Ms. Iglesias issued Ms. Alford

“another undeserved corrective action” “under the pretext that [Ms. Alford] had come to work early, stayed out for lunch 15 minutes too late, and failed to complete 22 evaluations (an arbitrary standard number for daily evaluations which had been applied only to [Ms. Alford] and not her coworkers).” (Id. at ¶ 26). Employees who were not Black or gay “came to work early at times” and “often went over their 30-minute allotted time for lunch breaks but were not disciplined for doing so.” (Id. at ¶ 27). AdventHealth did not schedule Ms. Alford to work any days in March 2024 and only scheduled her for two days in April and May 2024. (Id. at ¶¶ 29-30, 32). Ms. Alford then

filed a charge (“Charge One”) with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (“EEOC”) alleging that she had been retaliated against for filing two complaints about Ms. Iglesias. (Doc. # 49-1 at 1-2). Ms. Alford alleges that AdventHealth did not schedule her for any days in June 2024 in “retaliation for her participation in protected activity.” (Doc. # 45 at ¶ 36). Ms. Alford alleges that other similarly situated employees who were not Black or gay “were given work hours.” (Id.). Ms. Alford further alleges that she was fired on June 15, 2024, purportedly for not working the minimum number of shifts per month and failing “to keep her leadership apprised of her

availability.” (Id. at ¶¶ 38-39). However, Ms. Alford claims that she “regularly and timely submitted her availability each month and despite being available [for the minimum number of shifts], was regularly denied the opportunity to work based on her race, sexual orientation or in retaliation for her protected activity.” (Id. at ¶ 42). B. The EEOC and FCHR Charges Ms. Alford filed Charge One with the EEOC and Florida Commission on Human Relations (“FCHR”) on May 10, 2024. (Doc. # 49-1 at 1-2). Charge One alleges only that AdventHealth retaliated against Ms. Alford for filing complaints about Ms. Iglesias. (Id.). Charge One states as follows:

During my tenure with [AdventHealth], I’ve had to file two internal HR complaints against my manager Jennifer Iglesias for retaliation, disparities, harassment, bullying and intimidation. The last complaint was on December 17, 2023, because Ms. Iglesias falsified the face-to-face discussion for my yearly performance evaluation. Then on January 4, 2024, there was a physical altercation between Ms. Iglesias and myself because I overheard her speaking to the secretary and verbalized, “she wish I would quit because she was so over me.”

On February 2, 2024, I received a corrective action plan for coming to work early before scheduled time, using my personal cell phone on a personal call and work performance issues. I was required to sit with my supervisor, Sheila Hammond every single time I was scheduled to work and there was no training or assistance. My schedule was significantly reduced down to 0-1 day per month, contrary to the policy requirements for PRN which requires a minimum of 2 weekdays and 2 weekend days.

I believe that I was retaliated against in violation of the Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended.

(Id.). Ms. Alford filed a second charge with the EEOC and FCHR (“Charge Two”) on July 8, 2024. (Doc. # 49-1 at 3-5). Charge Two elaborates on the retaliation alleged in Charge One. (Id.). Regarding Ms. Alford’s claim that she had to sit with Ms. Hammond, Charge Two alleges that “other PRN employees . . . could select where they sat.” (Id. at 3). Charge Two further states as follows: After the [above-described] incidents, my submitted availability days were significantly reduced to 2 days per month or none at all, while other PRN employees were asked by Jennifer Iglesias to work more days and was [sic] paid incentive bonus pay. Despite compliance to the Advent Health policy CW HR 244 of submitting required shift availability per month since February 15, 2021, I was discharged without receiving any coaching or corrective action that I violated the policy.

I was discharged from Advent Health Wesley Chapel Hospital on June 14, 2024. I believe that I was retaliated against in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1990, as amended, and all applicable state statutes.

(Id. at 3-4). Neither charge asserts claims of race or sex discrimination or mentions Ms.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Gladys Gregory v. Georgia Dept. of Human Resources
355 F.3d 1277 (Eleventh Circuit, 2004)
Sandra Jackson v. BellSouth Telecommunications
372 F.3d 1250 (Eleventh Circuit, 2004)
Diane Wilbur v. Correctional Services Corp.
393 F.3d 1192 (Eleventh Circuit, 2004)
Cockrell v. Sparks
510 F.3d 1307 (Eleventh Circuit, 2007)
Papasan v. Allain
478 U.S. 265 (Supreme Court, 1986)
Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly
550 U.S. 544 (Supreme Court, 2007)
Leinnette Thomas v. Miami Dade Public Health Trust
369 F. App'x 19 (Eleventh Circuit, 2010)
Ebonie Batson v. The Salvation Army
897 F.3d 1320 (Eleventh Circuit, 2018)
Marie Patterson v. Georgia Pacific, LLC
38 F.4th 1336 (Eleventh Circuit, 2022)
Penaloza v. Target Corp.
549 F. App'x 844 (Eleventh Circuit, 2013)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
Felicia Alford v. Pasco-Pinellas Hillsborough Community Health System, Inc. d/b/a AdventHealth Wesley Chapel, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/felicia-alford-v-pasco-pinellas-hillsborough-community-health-system-inc-flmd-2025.