A former Brown administrator filed a lawsuit against the University last week, alleging that in 2024, her supervisors discriminated and retaliated against her because of her ethnicity and disability.
The administrator, Rosedelma Seraphin, worked in offices managing diversity and belonging initiatives at Warren Alpert Medical School for about five years before her employment was terminated in June 2024, according to a federal complaint filed in the District of Rhode Island.
Leading up to her termination, Seraphin was given two improvement plans and took two leaves for a mental health condition characterized as a disability in the complaint.
The complaint alleges that Brown fired Seraphin “because of her disability and in retaliation for requesting and taking protected medical leave and disability accommodations.” It also claims that supervisors discriminated against Seraphin, who is Black and Dominican.
University spokesperson Brian Clark vigorously denied the allegations in a statement to The Herald and characterized the case as being “without merit.”
“Brown maintains strong policies and procedures to ensure an environment free of discrimination and harassment,” Clark said, “as well as retaliation against people who report discrimination or harassment.”
“We have a strong case to make and will respond as appropriate through the legal process,” he added.
Seraphin’s attorney, Layi Oduyingbo, said in a statement to The Herald that his firm was prepared to “secure the justice and accountability (Seraphin) deserves.” Oduyingbo suggested that a directive from the Rhode Island Commission for Human Rights bolstered Seraphin’s case, while Clark said in a separate statement that “the commission's decision is not a finding of responsibility but rather a reflection of its interest in hearing the arguments of the parties.”
The directive “is understandable in light of the importance of employers ensuring an environment free of discrimination and harassment,” he added.
According to the complaint, Seraphin received positive feedback from the supervisor she had from 2019 to 2022. But the complaint alleges that after a restructuring in 2022 shifted Seraphin’s role, her new boss, current Vice President for Campus Life Patricia Poitevien, who is Haitian and Black according to the suit, targeted Seraphin because of her Dominican identity.
“Knowing that Rosedelma was Dominican, Dr. Poitevien made workplace comments about tensions between Haitians and Dominicans, stating in substance that the groups ‘do not get along,’” the complaint claims. “In the context of their deteriorating working relationship, the comment conveyed that Rosedelma’s national origin was an obstacle to their ability to work together.”
The complaint also alleges that Poitevien “scrutinized Rosedelma more closely and publicly questioned her contributions” after Seraphin participated in the Black @ Brown affinity group and advocated for the University to address a purported discrepancy between her compensation and that of peers with fewer management responsibilities.
Poitevien referred The Herald to the University when reached for comment.
Clark said in his statement that Brown’s policies protect from discrimination “based on race, sex, gender, disability and every other characteristic protected under applicable law.”
Around May 2023, Brown placed Seraphin on a Performance Improvement Plan — which outlines employee’s deficiencies and creates a timeline for performance improvement, according to the University’s website. After Seraphin challenged the PIP with human resources officials, “Brown converted the PIP into a less formal expectations memorandum and removed its disciplinary nature and timeline,” the complaint says.
In June 2023, Seraphin took medical leave for “adjustment disorder,” a mental health condition. The medical leave lasted for about 12 weeks, the complaint says.
When Seraphin returned in September, she began reporting to a different supervisor, yet according to the complaint, she “continued to experience scrutiny and criticism rather than an improvement in her working environment.”
In March 2024, Seraphin once again took medical leave, and while on leave applied for a new position in the Office of the Provost, the complaint says. As part of the job interview process, she returned to campus for a day in May.
“After learning of the interview, (Brown) Human Resources questioned how she could participate while unable to perform her regular job and told her that her participation meant she could return to work,” the complaint alleges.
On May 21, the day after Seraphin returned, she was placed on a second PIP, which “cited events (that) occurred months before her March 2024 leave and May return,” the complaint claims.
The PIP “promised a thirty-day evaluation period through June 21,” but Brown then fired Seraphin on June 14, according to the complaint.
“Brown subjected Rosedelma to the Second PIP and terminated her because of her disability and in retaliation for requesting and taking protected medical leave and disability accommodations,” the complaint alleges.
Clark defended Brown’s disciplinary processes in his statement, writing that “We maintain detailed performance management and corrective discipline policies and procedures and move forward with employee terminations only after severe and/or persistent, consistently documented issues.”
“We abide by these policies in all employment matters,” he added.
It remains unclear when the two parties will meet in court. District Judge Melissa DuBose recused herself from the case last week, court documents show. It has been reassigned to Chief Judge John McConnell Jr.
Emily Feil contributed reporting.
James Libresco is a senior staff writer covering staff & student labor. He is a sophomore from Alexandria, Va. studying political science and contemplative studies. In his free time, he can be found playing basketball, meditating, or losing in Among Us.
