10-27-2022
Nicole Moore worked as Planned Parenthood's director of multicultural brand engagement in Manhattan from January 2020 to November 2021. Moore, a Black woman, alleges the organization expected her to take on more work than her white colleagues, denied her opportunities to advance or lead, and retaliated against her when she raised these concerns. In her complaint, Moore describes incidents where a supervisor publicly humiliated her and berated her in front of other colleagues. Her work focused on outreach and campaigns to Black and Latina communities, which Moore asserts were undervalued and understaffed. In addition, Moore questioned why no Black employees, who made up 20% of her 75-person department, were promoted. Moore claims she brought these concerns to management within Planned Parenthood. She claims the organization retaliated against her and ultimately fired her. The complaint includes a copy of an email where Moore asserts she felt discriminated against for "speaking up and speaking out about biased practices and inequity." She claims that leadership accused her of undermining them with her complaints.
During an internal audit of Planned Parenthood in 2020, Black employees reported feeling leadership scrutinized them more than their white counterparts. They asserted the organization required them to work more hours and placed them in more limited roles. Moore's former supervisor, Ilana Gamza-Machado de Souza, also filed a lawsuit this year. De Souza claims Planned Parenthood fired her for complaining about antisemitism within the organization. According to Moore's lawsuit, De Souza shared Moore's complaints with senior managers.
Planned Parenthood’s general counsel denied Moore’s allegations and “categorically” denied her claims of discrimination.