TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (Legal Newsline) - A Florida woman whose sexually explicit photos were spread by a co-worker at Walmart says she was fired over them while he was allowed to keep his job.
Walmart Associates, Inc., and Shawn Wendell Mitchell are facing a lawsuit filed March 18 by Sherona Barnes in Leon County Circuit Court. The case revolves around allegations of gender discrimination, retaliation, and violation of Florida's revenge-porn statute.
Barnes, a former Walmart employee, alleges that she shared personal images with Mitchell, another Walmart employee, under the expectation they would remain private.
However, Mitchell allegedly shared these images without her consent and with malicious intent to cause emotional distress. Barnes further claims that the images were disseminated among other Walmart employees, including managers and HR officials.
The lawsuit also accuses Walmart of terminating Barnes' employment partly due to the circulated images while ignoring the male coworker's misconduct.
Marie Mattox of Tallahassee represents the plaintiff.