Philadelphia gas works lawsuit proceeds on discrimination, harassment claims

A federal judge allows key workplace claims to move forward while dismissing others.

Philadelphia, PA – A federal judge has allowed portions of a workplace discrimination lawsuit against Philadelphia Gas Works (PGW) to proceed, finding that the plaintiff sufficiently alleged disability discrimination, sexual harassment, and retaliation tied to harassment complaints.

The case, filed by Sa’mone Marquis, centers on her brief tenure as a call center representative and her termination in December 2025. The court conducted an initial screening of the complaint and determined that several claims met the legal threshold to move forward, while others did not.

Court narrows scope of claims

The judge ruled that Marquis plausibly alleged that PGW terminated her based on her disabilities, subjected her to a sex-based hostile work environment, and retaliated against her for complaining about harassment.

“On an initial screening, she has pled facts to support claims that PGW terminated her based on her disabilities, that she suffered a sex-based hostile work environment, and that PGW retaliated against her for complaining about sex-based harassment,” the court wrote.

However, the court dismissed claims that PGW failed to accommodate her disabilities and retaliated against her under the Americans with Disabilities Act, citing insufficient factual detail.

Key Points

Judge allowed disability discrimination and harassment claims to proceed
Court dismissed failure-to-accommodate and ADA retaliation claims
Case stems from termination of PGW call center employee in December 2025

Allegations detail workplace incidents

According to the complaint, Marquis suffers from asthma, cardiac-related symptoms, and anxiety, and informed PGW of her conditions. She alleges she was terminated just days after formally disclosing her disabilities.

Marquis also described multiple incidents she characterized as sexual harassment, including inappropriate comments from coworkers, workplace hostility, and alleged failures by management and human resources to address her complaints.

PGW stated her termination was due to dishonesty during an internal investigation, according to the filing.

The case will now proceed on the surviving claims as the court continues to evaluate the allegations and defenses.

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