Actress Lupita Nyong'o's cousin is currently engaged in a legal battle with an American medical institution which has employed him for over 13 years.
Omondi Nyong'o, who is a trained pediatric surgical ophthalmologist, has sued the US medical facility over what he claims is a toxic work environment.
In his civil complaint filed in San Francisco County Superior Court, Omondi exposed cases of mistreatment among doctors and other health officials working in the facility.
Despite being a veteran in the medical field and the first and only black physician to chair a department in the foundation he worked for, he is among the victims of a pattern of racial discrimination.
In the lawsuit, Omondi listed pay discrimination, promotion, demotion, biased reviews, heightened scrutiny and racial harassment, different standards of behavior, and unfair discipline among the cases of mistreatment black professionals suffered.
In his legal suit, Omondi alleges gross violations of the state's Fair Employment and Housing Act, Fair Pay Act, Health, Safety Code, and Unfair Competition Law.
He first moved to court on January 15, 2021 and it was established that he was legally right to sue the medical facility.
Following his law suit, Omondi was demoted and stripped of his leadership designation, and placed under a regular clinical position.
"Doctors of color informed Nyong'o that they were dismayed and shocked to observe Nyong'o be treated with such disrespect, and found the message chilling for them," the lawsuit read in part.
He further exposed the medical facility for painting him among other colleagues as an aggressive and angry person.
"In racially coded language, casting him as an angry Black man, and describing his complaints as 'intimidating, aggressive, and not collaborative,'' this is according to court papers.
The lawsuit has gained traction with major US media houses and publications covering it with follow-up stories. In the latest media report, KCRA News reported that most people interviewed confirmed Omondi's allegation.
The media outlet, however, noted other victims were reluctant to give their testimonies on camera, preferring to remain anonymous to avoid being punished or losing their jobs.
His landmark case against racism comes two years after the worldwide Black Lives Matter campaign that resulted from the killing of US Citizen, George Floyd.
The incident where a police officer was filmed kneeling on Floyd's neck until he ran out of breath attracted global outrage birthing the movement that advocated for upholding the rights and freedoms of black people.
