Lawsuit Alleges Cleveland Heights Underpaid, Discriminated Against Black Employee

Cleveland Heights, fresh off of a complaint of alleged antisemitism at City Hall, is dealing with another lawsuit with racial undertones.

According to a complaint filed in the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas, the city allegedly discriminated against Earline Robinson, a Black woman in her sixties living in Richmond Heights, in various capacities since she started working as an income tax clerk for City Hall in the 1980s.

Robinson took higher level roles—from tax clerk to accounting clerk—with differing levels of pay increase or “no increase” at all, her attorney, Lawrence Mays, claims in the suit.

“During her employment, Ms. Robinson was paid less than younger white Accounts Payable employees who had less responsibilities and less years of service,” the complaint, dated March 10, r