Texas Christian University is facing another lawsuit from a former employee alleging racial discrimination.
Armando Rios worked at the school as a maintenance supervisor. He alleges he was passed up for promotions, and was later terminated for “poor performance” after he complained.
“Those jobs weren't posted and white employees who weren't nearly as experienced or qualified as him were given those positions,” Rios’ attorney, Jason Smith, said.
Rios had worked for TCU for more than three years, the lawsuit states, and “was a hard-working employee … who received evaluations exceeding expectations.
“This is a case of institutional racism,” the lawsuit reads.
Rios is the third TCU worker who's been fired that Smith has represented in their cases against the Fort Worth university. He previously representedLinda Lopez and, in a separate case, Ricardo Avitia. Both lawsuits were eventually settled.
The latest lawsuit alleges Rios was accused of racism himself “against Mexicans.”
“That on its face is preposterous," Smith said.
TCU said in a statement to KERA that "it does not comment on details of legal or personnel matters,” adding that this is the second lawsuit Rios has filed against the university.
“The federal court dismissed his earlier case. We can share that TCU engaged an outside investigator to review the former employee's claims. The outside firm did not find any instances of illegal discrimination."
Court documents show that case settled for an undisclosed amount, as was another Smith was involved with.
A separate lawsuit alleging racial discrimination against a Black honors student was settled in 2021.
Rio’s lawsuit has a trial date next July.
