May 20, 2023, 9:32 PMSOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images, FILE
One of the plaintiffs, Idus Hartsfield, who worked as a customer care manager in the warranty department, attended what the lawsuit refers to as the "noose meeting" in November 2019. During the training meeting, a white supervisor allegedly "waved the noose" in front of the staff, which included at least two Black workers, "while warning them 'not to hang themselves,' to intimidate the employees who were in attendance," according to the complaint.
The complaint, which includes photos of alleged meeting with the noose, alleges Hartsfield "suffered unlawful retaliation" for reporting the incident and that race was a motivating factor in his termination., a PulteGroup spokesperson called the images "despicable." The third plaintiff, Richard Turnbow, was allegedly "humiliated" in front of colleagues by the same supervisor for not arriving to a training meeting at least 15 minutes early and was ordered to collect trash around the office, according to the complaint. Turnbow quit in October 2022, nine months after he was hired as an assistant customer service representative, according to the complaint.