Kareem A. Hicks, a Black gay male clinician, has filed a lawsuit against his former employer alleging discriminatory and retaliatory practices that led to his wrongful termination. The complaint was lodged in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas on November 29, 2025, targeting Memorial Hermann Health System and three individuals associated with the organization: Andrea Daniels, Stephanie Aurisano, and David Aurisano.
The lawsuit stems from allegations that Hicks faced heightened scrutiny and differential treatment during his tenure as a Behavioral Health Clinician at Memorial Hermann. According to the complaint, these issues intensified after Hicks raised concerns about workplace fairness and data integrity related to a new triage-tracking system implemented by the health system in late 2024. Despite consistently positive performance evaluations throughout his employment starting in 2021, Hicks claims he was wrongfully terminated on May 13, 2025, based on pretextual grounds fabricated by his supervisors.
Hicks argues that he was subjected to selective enforcement of disciplinary measures not applied to similarly situated non-Black or heterosexual employees. He cites incidents where his conduct was mischaracterized as “disruptive” during meetings while similar behaviors from other employees went unpunished. The plaintiff believes these actions were motivated by racial bias and retaliation for his previous complaints about workplace practices.
In response to these alleged violations of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. § 1981, and Texas Labor Code Chapter 21, Hicks is seeking compensatory damages for lost wages and benefits, emotional distress, reputational harm, and punitive damages against all defendants involved. Additionally, he requests equitable relief such as reinstatement or front pay along with attorney’s fees and litigation costs.
Representing Kareem A. Hicks is attorney Courtney A. Vincent from Vincent Law PLLC based in Houston. The case is presided over by an unnamed judge under Case ID: 4:25-cv-05734.
Source: 425cv05734_Kareem_Hicks_v_Memorial_Hermann_Complaint_Southern_District_of_Texas.pdf
