Discrimination lawsuit against Climate First Bank, CEO moves forward
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A federal judge has determined that a racial discrimination case filed earlier this year against St. Petersburg-based Climate First Bank and founder, Chairman and CEO Ken LaRoe will move forward despite the defendant filing a motion to dismiss the case last month.
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Judge James S. Moody Jr. on May 17 endorsed an order denying the motion to dismiss a complaint originally filed on March 1 by Edwina Maxwell, Climate First Bank’s former chief talent officer and director of diversity, equity and inclusion, due to Maxwell filing an amended complaint on May 9, the court docket showed. Maxwell then filed a second amended complaint on May 22.
The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida alleges Maxwell was fired in April 2022 because executives “did not want to be monitored for their discrimination,” per court documents. She filed the lawsuit on one count of discrimination and two counts of retaliation under federal and state law, and requested a jury trial.
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