ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. (WBTV) - A former Truist Bank employee in North Carolina filed a lawsuit against her former employer over the aftermath of an “incident” involving a Chucky doll, citing discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The lawsuit was filed by Debra Jones on May 21. Jones was hired in April 2024 in Rocky Mount.
According to the lawsuit, Jones was diagnosed with major depressive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and the autoimmune disorder vitiligo. Jones claimed that her employers were aware of her diagnosis, her fear of dolls, and how the fear affects her disabilities.
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During her last week of new hire training, Jones’s manager allegedly placed a Chucky doll (referenced as “the doll that kills people” in the lawsuit) in her office chair.
Chucky dolls became popular in the United States following the release of “Child’s Play,” the fictional story of a killer doll and inspiration behind several sequels.
Jones alleged that the incident caused her to seek “immediate medical attention.” She was then placed on medical leave for eight weeks to treat her disabilities, according to the lawsuit.
Jones also claimed a new post-traumatic stress disorder diagnosis was given after the incident.
Following her return to work in August, Jones said she had an approved accommodation to leave work at 3 p.m. three days per week for treatment of flare-ups she said started because of the doll.
She was also assigned a new manager and a different office.
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Three months later, her new manager allegedly made a joke that Jones was “always fraudulent vigilant.” In the lawsuit, Jones claimed that she was “subjected to disparate treatment based on her disabilities.”
Days later, Jones said that she was presented with a performance concerns document.
Toward the end of January 2025, Jones alleged she was told she could not leave earlier than her scheduled appointment time and that because no updated documents had been received, she would have to leave work at 4 p.m. instead of taking her lunch break at 2 p.m. and leaving at 3 p.m.
In the suit, Jones claimed that was another way in which she was “subjected to disparate treatment based on her disabilities.”
Jones was also told that leaving at 3 p.m. was affecting her coworkers because they also needed to take time off, according to the lawsuit. She was also allegedly told the job was not the “right fit” and that she could not “keep using her anxiety and emotional problems as an excuse.”
According to the lawsuit, she was given a document and told she would be fired if she did not approve.
That day, she was taken out of work for medical treatment related to her disabilities, Jones said.
She was fired on March 12.
According to the lawsuit, Jones sought a trial by jury and compensatory damages.
Request for comment was made to Truist Bank.
Read the full lawsuit here:
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