Lady Justice
ORLANDO – A former Barry University College of Law employee alleges she was discriminated and retaliated against after reporting a custodial supervisor for mistreating Hispanic employees.
Plaintiff Nicolet Severe-Puhl filed her lawsuit February 26 against Barry in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, Orlando Division.
She claims Barry, a top-ranked Catholic university located in Miami Shores, violated the Florida Civil Rights Act.
“Despite her stellar work performance during her employment with Defendant, Plaintiff has been subjected to disparate treatment, different terms and conditions of employment, and was held to a different standard because she reported Defendant’s unlawful employment activities and was subject to retaliation thereafter,” according to her 13-page complaint.
Severe-Puhl began working at the College of Law in April 2024. She held the position of director of alumni and community relations until her termination in October 2025.
She claims she was a “loyal and dedicated employee” who maintained a “strong performance record.”
“Plaintiff received a fully favorable annual performance evaluation in September 2025, confirming that her work met or exceeded Defendant’s expectations,” her filing notes.
Severe-Puhl alleges her disparate treatment and retaliation specifically came at the hands of Dean Leticia Diaz, Assistant Dean Davey Jay and Finance Director Virginia Traver.
Severe-Puhl claims in May 2025 she verbally reported to Diaz that she had witnessed a custodial supervisor, Glen Collins, mistreat employees and make inappropriate comments regarding Hispanic employees, specifically custodians Llanetsy Alonso and Maria (last name unknown).
She claims Diaz disregarded her report and did not respond.
Severe-Puhl also verbally informed Student Financial Services Director Anita Daphnis of Collins’ behavior. Daphnis told Severe-Puhl she reported the information to the human resources department.
In September 2025, two students complained to the university’s registrar about Collins. Severe-Puhl forwarded the student complaints to senior leadership, including Diaz.
“Plaintiff verbally stated to Diaz that she was frustrated with Defendant’s failure to take action towards disciplining Collins and protecting students and faculty,” the complaint states. “Diaz again dismissed Plaintiff’s concerns, stating that she did not wish to become involved with the issue.”
Soon after, Collins received a disciplinary written warning from HR.
However, it was after that Severe-Puhl claims leadership staff, including Diaz, Jay, and Traver, began “undermining” her role. This included reassigning her to tasks and janitorial tasks inconsistent with her position, and restricting her access and credentials needed to perform her duties, she claims.
On Sept. 8, 2025, Severe-Puhl received a “fully positive” annual evaluation. She reaffirmed to Diaz her plans to continue her role. Previously, in March 2025, she had informed Diaz that she and her husband were exploring a potential future hotel acquisition.
However, later that same day, Severe-Puhl alleges Diaz demanded a resignation date from her.
“When Plaintiff responded with confusion, Diaz advised that ‘corporate’ required an outside employment form to be completed by Plaintiff, claiming that Plaintiff’s plans related to opening a hotel were a conflict of interest,” the filing states.
“The short timeframe from Plaintiff’s reports regarding Collins and his subsequent disciplinary warning indicates that the demanded resignation and questioning of Plaintiff’s outside employment were retaliatory actions against her.”
But the retaliation didn’t end there, Severe-Puhl alleges in her complaint.
After submitting her resignation letter to Diaz, setting her resignation effective February 2026, Severe-Puhl claims Diaz “expressed her dissatisfaction” with the date.
“Following Plaintiff’s protected activity, the tone and treatment toward Plaintiff materially changed, including but not limited to increased scrutiny, deliberate pushback on newsletter publication, being questioned repeatedly about her intentions and future plans, and being reassigned by Diaz to clerical and diminished duties inconsistent with her role as Director of Alumni and Community Relations,” her complaint states.
In addition, Diaz suddenly required Severe-Puhl to complete an outside employment form, the filing claims. Such forms apply to ongoing outside employment, and does not require disclosure of inactive or future activities, Severe-Puhl notes.
Therefore, Severe-Puhl did not include a company, Severe Strategies LLC, on the form because it was a “dormant entity with no ongoing activity or remunerative employment.”
She was informed on Sept. 26, 2025, that the university was planning to terminate her employment due to her not disclosing Severe Strategies as an outside business activity.
“Plaintiff verbally informed Jay that Severe Strategies, LLC was registered in 2020 but dormant with no ongoing operations since April 2024, the beginning of Plaintiff’s employment with Defendant,” the complaint states.
On Oct. 1, 2025, Barry denied Severe-Puhl’s outside employment request and terminated her employment without severance. The university claimed Severe-Puhl violated its outside employment policy.
“However, in or around late October 2025, the Florida Department of Commerce, specifically OPS ESR II Re-employment Assistant Christopher Rauw, confirmed that Plaintiff’s Outside Employment form was never approved or denied by Defendant and that no required signatures or approvals existed,” Severe-Puhl’s complaint states. “This contradiction demonstrates that the stated reason for Plaintiff’s termination was pretextual.
“Plaintiff’s termination occurred shortly after her protected activity, her favorable performance evaluation, and the escalation of retaliatory conduct, establishing a clear temporal and causal connection between Plaintiff’s protected activity and Defendant’s adverse employment actions.”
Severe-Puhl seeks compensatory damages, attorney’s fees, interest, and potentially reinstatement.
Marie A. Mattox PA in Tallahassee is representing Severe-Puhl in the action.
