Former OHSU employees file lawsuit over numerous instances of harassment from supervisors
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PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Two former Oregon Health and Science University employees filed a lawsuit against the university and four employees in leadership positions -- claiming they experienced a pattern of harassment, discrimination and retaliation, according to the lawsuit filed December 19.
The lawsuit -- which was first reported by Willamette Week -- was filed by former OHSU employees Troy Winslow and Hagop “Jack” Kharikian, who both worked as pediatric respiratory therapists.
The lawsuit claims violations against the plaintiffs' First and 14th Amendment rights, violations against the Family and Medical Leave Act, and seeks damages for emotional distress, negligent infliction of emotional distress, negligent hiring, and negligent retention.
The lawsuit centers around the plaintiffs' speaking out against alleged unlawful activity by David Quitmeyer -- OHSU's former director of respiratory care. According to the suit, employees were also concerned that he allegedly created violent pornographic videos and wrote poetry about torturing nurses and patients.
The lawsuit was also filed against a "key ally" of Quitmeyer, listed as Admir Beganovic, who served as an interim assistant department director in the respiratory department, along with Quitmeyer’s successor, Krista Kolarik, and former OHSU Executive Vice President and Chief People Officer Qiana Williams.
The lawsuit furthers that the defendants are continuing to interfere with the plaintiffs' future prospects, by telling other local employers not to hire them.
The complaint
The lawsuit explains Winslow began working at OHSU in February of 2020. He was later granted an accommodation in June 2022 to not work in the labor and delivery unit nor the neonatal intensive care unit because of psychological trauma he faced from the birth of his twin children at the hospital and his wife’s near-fatal hemorrhaging during childbirth.
Following the accommodation, in November 2022, Winslow reported concerns with lax patient safety, pay inequity, and misogynistic culture in the pediatric respiratory care department under Quitmeyer’s leadership, according to the lawsuit, noting Winslow and other union staffers also posted flyers at OHSU's Doernbecher Children’s Hospital that highlighted their concerns.
Three days later, Quitmeyer allegedly sent a late-night email to the entire respiratory care department, describing, “painting (his) brains on the wall with a shotgun,” the lawsuit claims.
After seeing the email the next morning, Winslow alerted OHSU administration and the public safety office saying he feared that Quitmeyer would engage in violence against himself or others at the hospital, the lawsuit says. After Quitmeyer arrived on campus, Beganovic stated during mid-morning announcements that OHSU leadership “stands behind Quitmeyer and supports him fully."
Winslow allegedly alerted campus police of his concerns with Quitmeyer’s presence, leading police to ask Quitmeyer to leave the premises, the suit says, noting later that day, Quitmeyer sent an email to colleagues claiming he received a threatening email from someone pretending to be Winslow.
The suit cited another instance in early January 2023 when a fax was sent to the entire OHSU leadership team – that also attempted to impersonate Winslow as the sender -- with a picture of Quitmeyer and large X marks over his eyes and crosshairs on his forehead, stating “1 a------ down, more 2 go.”
Glitter bomb
Around January 5, Winslow learned that Quitmeyer was placed on administrative leave, and the next day, filed a restraining order against him, according to the lawsuit.
That night, Winslow allegedly received a letter in the mail with no return address that was postmarked from Florida. The letter constituted a “glitter bomb,” that was filled with copious amounts of glitter and a drawing of a raised middle finger, the suit says, noting another colleague who criticized Quitmeyer's policies also received a glitter bomb in the mail.
On Jan. 9, Winslow sent a formal complaint to OHSU's executive leadership team and board of directors outlining his initial complaints about Quitmeyer, according to the lawsuit, adding days later, Kharikian and four other employees sent a similar letter to OHSU leadership.
Later, on Feb. 1, Winslow filed his second formal complaint to OHSU leadership; however, he did not receive a response from the university, the suit says.
Days later, one of the workers who signed the letter outlining their concerns over Quitmeyer’s leadership received a package at her desk with a chocolate sex toy “with the message ‘Eat a D---,'” the suit claims.
This led to a third formal complaint to OHSU, in which Winslow described the inappropriate package his coworker received; however, OHSU still did not respond, according to the lawsuit.
On Feb. 11, 2023, an Amazon package addressed to Winslow’s wife was delivered to their home, with the package containing a book about how to find out if a spouse is cheating, with a note reading, “Sorry to have to tell you this way,” according to the lawsuit.
After filing a fourth formal complaint to OHSU leadership, the board of directors allegedly told Winslow he should direct his complaints to OHSU’s public safety office, human resources, and the Office of Civil Rights Investigation and Compliance going forward, the lawsuit says.
The complaint furthers that throughout February and March, Winslow’s physical and mental health severely declined, noting he was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, major depressive disorder, and anxiety connected to the alleged harassment he faced from Quitmeyer, leading him to take protected leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act.
On April 26, OCIC told Winslow that OHSU would not investigate his complaints against Quitmeyer unless Quitmeyer returned to in-person work at OHSU.
The suit alleges during this time, Beganovic used “non-credible complaints” against Winslow to discipline him without any investigation. This led Winslow to file multiple retaliation complaints with OHSU.
This led to a department meeting in June, in which Beganovic gave Winslow an Amazon package reading “Troy Winslow – Rose Award Enclosed,” according to the lawsuit, noting Rose Awards are given to employees who have exemplified above and beyond service. However, after opening the package, Winslow pulled out a plaque that read “This plaque certifies you as the world’s biggest a------,” among other offensive inscriptions.
The following month, Winslow was informed that Beganovic would be taking over as his direct manager. At this time, Beganovic allegedly began asking Winslow to have one-on-one meetings with him but repeatedly failed to tell him where the meetings would be held and if Winslow would have coverage for his patients while he was away for the meeting," the suit alleges.
In one case in August, Winslow unintentionally missed a meeting with Beganovic while providing care to a pediatric patient who was in the process of dying from traumatic respiratory hemorrhaging, the lawsuit claims, noting that afternoon Beganovic and Kolarik placed Winslow on paid administrative leave and had campus police escort him off campus without providing any coverage for his patients, citing “code of conduct concerns.”
On Aug. 17, 2023, Winslow filed a complaint with OCIC for Beganovic’s retaliatory use of police escorts and paid leave. During an investigatory meeting, in late September, Beganovic falsely accused Winslow of assaulting him in the pediatric ICU, the lawsuit alleges, adding that multiple nurses submitted statements showing Beganovic’s claims were false.
Later, on October 24, 2023, Beganovic told Winslow he could return to work with a final written warning added to his file. As one of the conditions, Beganovic and Kolarik stated that Winslow would have a year-long standing mental health accommodation revoked and would be forced to work in the neonatal ICU, which triggered Winslow’s PTSD from the traumatic experiences during the birth of his children, the suit claims.
After failing to revoke the accommodation, in February 2024, Kolarik assigned Winslow to work a night shift position, which was difficult as a worker with two young children, so he requested an alternative schedule. Later that month, Kolarik placed him on paid administrative leave without reason, and later placed him on unpaid leave pending termination. He was later officially terminated.
Plaintiff Kharikian -- who started working at OHSU in 2018 -- filed a retaliation complaint in February 2023 over Quitmeyer’s use of an irregular hiring process to fill a vacancy in the pediatric respiratory department.
During the investigation, Kharikian claims he repeatedly had to correct inaccuracies in OHSU’s investigatory meeting notes, and asked for future meetings to be recorded to aid his disability, however Beganovic and Kolair allegedly “scoffed” at his request. From April to June 2023, Kharikian took protected medical leave from work due to mental health issues from legal threats by Quitmeyer, the suit says.
Around September, Kharikian’s manager tried to fire him while he was on protected medical leave, and gave him two warnings for alleged unprotected absences, the suit claims, citing one instance a week later in which Beganovic cornered Karikian in the emergency department and bullied him in front of patients and other employees.
In late October, Karikain filed harassment complaints with OHSU’s OCIC, and in December 2023, OHSU’s human resources department closed the investigation after only speaking with Kharikian’s manager, Kolarik, and Beganovic – the three respondents in the complaint.
Months after writing a letter to OHSU leadership stating he had been retaliated against, and after taking more protected time off for serious health issues stemming from workplace harassment, Kharijian was placed on paid leave pending a disciplinary investigation.
OHSU told KOIN 6 News the university does not comment on pending litigation.
KOIN 6 News also reached out to Quitmeyer, Beganovic, Kolarik, and Williams. This story will be updated if we receive a response.