A recent court filing reveals that five former employees of the Register of Wills in Philadelphia are suing the department and its officeholder for discrimination. Allegedly, John Sabatina, the elected official in charge, fired 19 staffers of color who supported his opponent and replaced them with white workers. The lawsuit, filed on September 6 in the District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, shines a light on the alleged discriminatory practices within the agency.
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The five employees involved in the lawsuit, four Black and one Arabic, were all terminated on January 9 after starting work at the office between 2020 and 2023. Since then, they have struggled to find employment with pay and benefits that match what they received at the Register of Wills office.
The lawsuit against the department and Sabatina is a reminder of a similar case involving former Register of Wills, Tracey Gordon, who faced a lawsuit from five ex-employees for allegedly firing them for not donating to her campaign. The city has already paid $125,000 in settlement to two former employees in these cases, and Gordon still faces three more suits.
Gordon, who lost the election in November and later ran an unsuccessful Democratic primary campaign against U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans, has been embroiled in controversy surrounding hiring and firing practices within the office. Sabatina, who ran his campaign on a platform of ending corruption in the Register of Wills office, has also faced scrutiny for his actions.
Despite the ongoing legal battles and allegations of discrimination, both Gordon and Sabatina have expressed their commitment to restoring public trust in the office and improving services for the citizens of Philadelphia.