An ex-employee of the Chicago-based National Association of Realtors has filed a federal lawsuit against the trade association alleging a hostile work environment that included sexual harassment and discrimination, as well as retaliation after she was fired.
Roshani Sheth, a former product manager for Realtors Information Network, a subsidiary of NAR, worked at company headquarters from 2014 to 2019 and was the only woman and person of color on her team, according to the amended lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois on September 10.
Sheth was repeatedly subjected to comments about her body and other derogatory language, as well as sexual advances, by male supervisors, the suit alleges. The suit states that one supervisor “stared at her breasts” and called her career ambition “unattractive.” And after refusing his sexual advances, the lawsuit alleges her working conditions further deteriorated, with her direct supervisor taking “no action” to prevent the conduct after she reported it to him and denying her a promised promotion due to her “‘inability to effectively collaborate’” with the man who sexually harassed her.
When Sheth reported the “harassment and retaliation” she was facing to the department of talent development and resources, the suit says she was referred to as an immigrant — although they knew she was born in the Chicagoland area — and her concerns were dismissed. She was later placed on a “Performance Improvement Plan.” Sheth was terminated a few months later in October 2019, the suit states.
The lawsuit comes a year after the trade organization’s former president Kenny Parcell resigned following sexual harassment allegations first reported by the New York Times. There have been a series of other leadership changes at the organization since then, with another president resigning, as well as a CEO.
National Association of Realtors president resigns after allegations of sexual harassment
The September court filing is a more detailed version of Sheth’s original suit filed in June when she was representing herself; she is now represented by an attorney.
Prior to her lawsuit, in 2020, Sheth filed a discrimination complaint over her termination from NAR with the Illinois Department of Human Rights and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, according to the September filing. The EEOC informed her of her right to sue in March of this year.
Sheth’s suit claims that while the IDHR was investigating her complaints, NAR employees texted her to “shut up,” called her a “rat” and included text shorthand for “kill yourself.” Since her termination, the suit alleges that Sheth also had a hard time finding permanent employment due to former supervisor’s interference in her job search.
“The National Association of Realtors is committed to fostering a diverse, equitable and inclusive workplace,” a NAR spokesperson said in a statement. The spokesperson added that the organization does not “comment on matters of employment.”
National Association of Realtors takes additional steps to address alleged workplace issues
Bob Goldberg, NAR’s former CEO, stepped down more than a year before his anticipated departure after staff members called for the resignations of executives like Goldberg in September of last year. NAR recently named Nykia Wright its permanent CEO.
Sheth, now the managing broker for a Chicago-based firm she founded called Real Estate Legacy, could not immediately be reached for comment.
Rupa Baskaran, the attorney representing Sheth, when reached by phone Monday, said, “We have full faith and confidence in our client’s claims and look forward to seeing them litigated in a court of law.”
