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A clinic nurse who claims she was marginalized and then fired by MercyOne Health Services after fielding employees’ complaints about a physician is now suing the company.

In lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa, Kristin Flatness alleges that while she worked for MercyOne as a clinic manager, she was the victim of gender discrimination, disability discrimination, and retaliation. She also claims her dismissal while on medical leave for a serious illness was in violation of the federal Family and Medical Leave Act.

Flatness, who currently lives in Minnesota, alleges that she was hired by MercyOne in early 2020, to oversee a new clinic in Albert Lea, Minnesota. In March 2022, she allegedly began fielding complaints from female staff members who claimed a physician in the clinic, Dr. David Heine, treated them poorly.

Heine’s behavior was so bad, the lawsuit alleges, that some of the female employees threatened to quit if Flatness did not address their concerns. Her director allegedly advised her to meet with the complainants and suggested a one-on-one meeting with Heine may not go well due to the doctor’s alleged “history of throwing temper tantrums,” the lawsuit states.

Flatness allegedly met with the workers, but the situation did not improve and near the end of March 2022, some of the workers indicated they unwilling to continue working at the clinic unless Heine changed his behavior.

Flatness then held an all-staff meeting to address any workplace issues, with the understanding that no names would be used and the focus would be on solutions and positive outcomes.

Afterward, Heine allegedly approached Flatness, pointed his finger in her face and shouted at her while positioned so Flatness was pinned between her desk and the wall. The lawsuit claims Heine yelled at Flatness that she needed to be punished for holding a staff meeting and that she was the problem at the clinic, not him.

The next day, Flatness reported the incident to MercyOne’s human resources department, saying she felt threatened and would like a safety plan put in place. Shortly thereafter, Brittany Erickson, a MercyOne vice president, allegedly visited the clinic and chastised Flatness for holding the staff meeting while making it clear MercyOne was going to side with the doctor over her.

A week later, MercyOne allegedly informed Flatness that her position was being eliminated and gave her the option of either leaving with a 30-day severance package or transferring, on two days’ notice, to Clear Lake, Iowa, 40 miles south of Albert Lea.

Two months later, the lawsuit alleges, MercyOne posted a job opening for a clinic coordinator in Albert Lea, with a job description that was almost identical to that of Flatness’ old job.

After taking time off to deal with surgery and the flare up of a longstanding, serious medical condition, Flatness alleges, she was fired while on medical leave.

Her lawsuit seeks unspecified damages for violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Family Medical Leave Act; gender discrimination and disability discrimination in violation of the Iowa Civil Rights Act; and retaliation related to her handling of complaints about Dr. Heine.

MercyOne has not yet filed a response to the federal lawsuit or to the state lawsuit that preceded it in April. Company officials did not immediately return a request for comment.

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