Roswell Park / Flickr / CC BY-ND 2.0
Wigdor LLP represents Dr. Willie Underwood, a urologist at Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI), in claims of racial discrimination against the Institute and his direct supervisor, Dr. James Mohler, M.D., the head of the Department of Urology.
Dr. Underwood was hired by Roswell Park in 2008 and despite being a distinguished and nationally recognized Urologist, Dr. Underwood alleges that he was subject to continuous discrimination and racial animus at RPCI. In the complaint Dr. Underwood alleges that his supervisor, Dr. Mohler, frequently suggested that Dr. Underwood’s success was due to affirmative action because he was black, and repeatedly used derogatory terms to refer to Dr. Underwood, including calling him a “token black.”
Further, the complaint alleges that Dr. Mohler restricted Dr. Underwood’s operative time and his patient referrals, and also delayed Dr. Underwood’s promotion for more than six months in retaliation for his complaint about race discrimination. In addition it is alleged that Dr. Underwood was paid less by way of compensation than less experienced white counterparts. Moreover, it is alleged that when Dr. Underwood reported his concerns of poor patient care to Dr. Mohler, rather than act upon the complaints in the interests of patients at Roswell Park, the complaints were repeatedly ignored and Dr. Underwood was moved to a new location, in a blatant act of retaliation.
Dr. Underwood is represented by Jeanne Christensen, a Partner at Wigdor LLP, and Michael Willemin, a Senior Associate.
The Buffalo News
“Doctor alleges racial discrimination in pay-issue suit against Roswell Park”
April 18, 2017
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