BATON ROUGE, La. – A Louisiana woman has sued her former employer, ExxonMobil, alleging she was subjected to “unwelcome harassment that was expressly sexual and gender-based,” including a false rumor of multiple alleged sexual relationships with coworkers.
Plaintiff Valissa Thomas filed her lawsuit against Exxon Mobil Corporation in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana.
In her 29-page complaint, Thomas contends her lawsuit arises from ExxonMobil’s alleged “mishandling” of her report of a “sexually charged and gender-based rumor” in its male-dominated workplace; its decision to allegedly publicly identify her in multiple shift-wide meetings despite her request for discretion; its alleged failure to take “prompt and effective corrective action” after management and Human Resources knew of the harm; and its alleged retaliation against her for opposing the harassment.
“The harassment was based on sex because it targeted Ms. Thomas’s sexual conduct and sexual reputation, invoked gender-based sexual stereotypes, and uniquely stigmatized her as a woman in a predominantly male workplace,” her lawsuit states.
Thomas had worked for ExxonMobil for about 12 years, since May 2019. She had advanced to the position of furnace specialist in the South Area Control Center, or SACC, at ExxonMobil’s Baton Rouge Chemical Plant.
She claims her role required substantial technical expertise and cross-team coordination across control-room personnel and operations groups.
“Her subsequent inability to work did not arise in a vacuum,” the suit states. “Rather, it arose from and was caused and/or materially exacerbated by the workplace harassment and ExxonMobil’s own handling of her complaint.”
According to her lawsuit, on Feb. 7, 2025, Thomas reported to management that a coworker had spread a sexualized rumor falsely linking her to multiple alleged sexual or romantic relationships with coworkers.
She claims she requested the matter be handled discreetly and specifically sought to avoid “further dissemination” of the rumor.
“Instead of containing the rumor and protecting the complaining employee, ExxonMobil management amplified it,” her complaint states. “Within days, shift leadership conducted stand-down meetings with multiple teams and used Ms. Thomas’s name while discussing the matter, thereby associating her identity with the sexual rumor in front of a broad group of coworkers.
“The disclosure transformed a coworker rumor into an employer-amplified workplace event.”
She claims she was humiliated, ostracized, fearful of retaliation, and unable to safely continue the cross-team relationship-dependent duties of her position.
She began medical leave a week after reporting to management, and just days after the stand-down meetings.
“ExxonMobil’s actions caused Ms. Thomas severe humiliation, anxiety, panic, emotional distress, fear, and psychological trauma,” the complaint states. “Within days of management’s disclosure of her identity, her mental condition deteriorated to the point that she was no longer medically capable of continuing to work and began continuous medical leave on February 14, 2025.”
According to Thomas’ filing, ExxonMobil’s own Human Resources process later acknowledged that the handling of her complaint had been improper and the initial approach made the situation worse.
Yet the company’s April 18, 2025 close-out communication labeled the principal allegation “unsubstantiated” while also admitting its investigation “did reveal some issue that we will take action to address,” without identifying meaningful corrective action, Thomas claims.
“The Company’s conclusion did not undo the harm caused by management’s decision to publicly identify Ms. Thomas in connection with the sexual rumor, nor did it restore her ability to safely and effectively function in the SACC environment,” her suit states.
Thomas filed a charge of discrimination with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, or EEOC, July 15, 2025.
While that charge remained pending, ExxonMobil separated Thomas from employment effective Jan. 1, 2026, characterizing the separation as one “due to disability.”
“ExxonMobil’s January 1, 2026 separation was not based on misconduct. It occurred after Ms. Thomas had complained of sex-based harassment, after she had challenged management’s mishandling of her complaint, after she had participated in the Company’s investigation, and after she filed her EEOC charge,” Thomas noted in her suit.
She argues ExxonMobil had written equal-employment and anti-harassment policies that prohibited such discrimination, harassment, and retaliation.
“Its failure to follow those principles in Ms. Thomas’s case, together with the direct involvement of management in disseminating her identity, supports an inference of intentional or recklessly indifferent conduct,” her suit states.
She also contends that ExxonMobil had actual notice of her sexual harassment complaint and actual notice that its own management response had caused additional harm.
“Despite that knowledge, ExxonMobil failed to take prompt, effective, and proportionate remedial measures reasonably calculated to restore a workplace free of sex-based hostility and retaliation,” her suit states.
Thomas alleges she has suffered “substantial” economic losses and non-economic harms, including humiliation, loss of professional confidence, and social avoidance.
She seeks back pay, front pay in lieu of reinstatement, lost wages, lost earning capacity, lost benefits, compensatory damages, punitive damages, pre- and post-judgment interest, attorneys’ fees, and expungement or correction of adverse employment records.
The Minias Law Firm in New Orleans is representing her in the action.
