MIAMI – A Florida man alleges his sex, national origin, race, and protected activity were “motivating factors” in his discrimination and eventual termination by his employer, a state chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union.
Plaintiff Joey Francilus filed his lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, Miami Division.
Francilus, in his 26-page complaint, alleges defendant ACLU of Florida violated the federal Civil Rights Act and the Florida Civil Rights Act.
The non-profit, non-partisan organization, founded in 1920, is tasked with defending and preserving the individual rights and liberties guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
“Plaintiff alleges that Defendant unlawfully discriminated against him, altered the terms, conditions, and privileges of his employment because of his sex/gender, national origin, and race, subjected him to a hostile work environment, and retaliated against him for opposing discriminatory practices, culminating in the unlawful termination of his employment,” the complaint states.
Francilus, a Black Haitian American, was employed by the Florida nonprofit from July 2018 until August 2025.
The defendant hired Francilus as a digital media associate at its Miami office.
A graduate of the University of Miami, Francilus earned a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies and a Master of Science in Journalism at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
Prior to his employment with the ACLU, he worked for more than a decade in journalism and digital media, his lawsuit states.
In July 2022, he was promoted to the position of digital strategist. As such, he “single-handedly” managed the defendant’s social media presence across seven platforms and served as the webmaster for the organization’s website.
During his seven-year tenure with the ACLU of Florida, Francilus claims he was the only Black man working in its communications department.
He also claims that during his tenure there, no Black man was promoted from junior staff to senior, director-level staff.
In his filing, Francilus points to his own experience with his former employer.
In 2023, the defendant posted an opening for the position of deputy communications director. Francilus applied for the position.
But rather than promote him, the ACLU selected an outside candidate for the position.
In 2024, the defendant hired Keisha Mulfort, a female, as a senior communications strategist.
In April and May 2025, the ACLU chapter again posted the position of deputy communications director internally. Both Francilus and Mulfort applied, and both were interviewed.
In May 2025, the defendant selected Mulfort for the position.
“Following Defendant’s decision to promote Ms. Mulfort over him, Plaintiff complained about the discriminatory nature of the hiring process by email to the hiring staff, stating that the process and the hiring reflected discriminatory practices and would create a hostile working environment,” the complaint states.
The ACLU chapter conducted no investigation into Francilus’s complaints, he alleges.
“Following Ms. Mulfort’s promotion, Defendant assigned Ms. Mulfort to serve as Plaintiff’s direct supervisor, notwithstanding that she had competed against Plaintiff for the same position,” the lawsuit states.
“Ms. Mulfort told Plaintiff, in substance, that if he did not do things her way, she was going to make his life a living hell. Ms. Mulfort thereafter created additional tasks for Plaintiff on top of his existing workload and made Plaintiff feel unsafe in the workplace.”
Between May 2025 and Aug. 11, 2025, the defendant subjected Francilus to a series of disciplinary actions, culminating in a final written warning and his termination, he alleges.
On Aug. 11, 2025, the day Francilus returned from vacation, his employer required him to attend a termination meeting.
Francilus contends he requested a delay because he was unable to reach his union representative, but the meeting proceeded. His union representative appeared only at the last minute, he alleges.
Francilus seeks back pay, front pay or reinstatement, compensatory damages, pre-judgment interest, post-judgment interest, taxable costs and attorney fees.
Imler Law in Lutz, Florida, is representing him in the lawsuit.
