RBC Wealth Management is facing a lawsuit from one of its former client associates who alleges racial discrimination and retaliation, reports AdvisorHub.
The complaint was filed in California state court by Daniell A. Dolphin, an African American and Hispanic associate who worked with RBC until what she says was her wrongful layoff in May 2023.
In the suit, Dolphin contends she was discriminated against since joining the firm in 2020, that RBC did not address her concerns, and that she was eventually unjustly terminated.
According to details of the lawsuit reported by AdvisorHub, a senior client associate who was Dolphin’s supervisor was reluctant to train her and told her she was “lucky” to be hired. She allegedly insinuated that Dolphin only obtained the position because she is “diverse.” Another colleague referred to her as “Alicia Keys” because she wore her hair in braids.
Furthermore, it was reported that Dolphin claimed to have overheard an advisor to whom she reported say that “his African American clients were ignorant and purchased items, such as cars, jewelry, etc., to ‘try to be rappers.’” She was also told she earned less than a colleague with a less senior title because of her perceived conflicting obligations as a mother despite completing all of her work, according to the complaint.
The suit said that Dolphin suffered a mental health crisis in 2022 due to the harassment she was subjected to. “Despite enduring years of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation, Dolphin’s concerns fell on deaf ears,” her complaint states. “Rather than addressing the systemic issues and providing the necessary support, Defendants chose to unjustly terminate her employment.”
Dolphin, who is now registered with Morgan Stanley in Sherman Oaks, California, is seeking unspecified damages based on claims of discrimination, retaliation and negligence, among others. A spokesperson for RBC declined to comment on pending litigation.
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