MIAMI – An Intuit employee contends the software company failed to conduct an investigation into his complaints of “systemic” national origin discrimination, according to a federal lawsuit.
Plaintiff Christian Hoepelman, a man from the Dominican Republic and resident of Miami-Dade County, filed his lawsuit July 15 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.
Hoepelman, in his 12-page complaint, accuses Intuit Inc. of violating the Civil Rights Act of 1964, a federal law that prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.
He contends he “met or exceeded” performance expectations, but that Intuit refused to promote him on the basis of his national origin.
“Plaintiff’s supervisors and coworkers frequently acknowledged that Plaintiff’s experience, technical expertise, and leadership made him an obvious choice for promotion,” the complaint states. “Despite this, Defendant’s interview and selection panels favored Caucasians or females for advancement, perpetuating a pattern of discriminatory promotions that blocked Plaintiff’s career growth.”
Intuit, headquartered in California, is a global financial software company that provides a suite of products to help individuals and businesses manage their finances and achieve financial confidence. Among their notable products: TurboTax for tax preparation; QuickBooks for small business accounting; Credit Karma for personal finance management; and Mailchimp for marketing.
According to his filing, Hoepelman has worked for Intuit as a business tax lead since about February 2015. Some of his job duties have included supervising business tax teams during peak season; providing expert-level tax guidance to clients; and ensuring compliance with all applicable tax laws and internal procedures.
He alleges he was subjected to discrimination and a hostile work environment starting in 2018, when he began “diligently” applying for various promotional opportunities at least three times a year.
“Despite his qualifications and strong performance record, Plaintiff was repeatedly passed over, while the positions were disproportionately awarded to less experienced and lower-performing Caucasians or females,” the complaint states.
Hoepelman claims he “repeatedly” raised concerns about Intuit’s “discriminatory pattern” – to several managers and colleagues.
“Plaintiff openly opposed the biased promotional process and expressed that qualified minority male employees, including himself, were being bypassed in favor of Caucasian or female candidates,” the complaint states.
Intuit, he claims, retaliated against him for his vocal opposition by continuing to deny him promotions “even when outperformed the selected candidates.” He also claims he was “systematically excluded” from insider project opportunities intended to prepare employees for leadership positions.
“Plaintiff’s repeated applications were rejected not for any legitimate business reason but because of his race (Hispanic), national origin (Dominican Republic), and sex (male), and because he complained about these unlawful practices,” the complaint states.
Hoepelman alleges he again reported the discriminatory treatment to his managers and also to human resources, but Intuit failed to remedy the practices.
“As a result of Defendant’s discriminatory and retaliatory conduct, Plaintiff has suffered not only within his current role at Intuit, but his overall career trajectory has been severely and irreparably damaged,” the complaint states. “Plaintiff had given up a promising and lucrative path in national public accounting based on the implied promise of professional development, long-term advancement, and career stability at Intuit.
“Plaintiff’s peers who began their careers in public accounting at the same time as he did have since advanced to senior leadership roles, including Senior Tax Managers and Directors. In contrast, Plaintiff’s career at Intuit stagnated despite strong performance, due solely to the unlawful discriminatory and retaliatory treatment he endured.”
Hoepelman’s filing contends Intuit has made it “virtually impossible” for him to make a lateral transition to roles “he should otherwise qualify for in the broader public tax accounting field.”
“Defendant’s actions have not only obstructed Plaintiff’s internal growth but have also severely undermined his external marketability, effectively robbing him of the prime years of his career,” he wrote in his complaint.
Hoepelman filed a charge of discrimination with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. He received a notice of right to sue from the commission.
He seeks back pay with interest, front pay, loss of benefits, compensatory and punitive damages, attorneys’ fees and costs, and pre-judgment interest.
Travis P. Lampert of Sulaiman Law Group Ltd. based in Lombard, Ill., is representing Hoepelman in the action.
