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Appeals court revives nurse’s hostile work environment claims - Business Insurance Skip to content Register for free Search Search Log In Risk Management Cyber Risks Pricing Trends Mergers & Acquisitions Technology Sponsored Content WSIA RISKWORLD Workers Comp & Safety Workers Comp Cost Control Pain Management Workplace Safety International EMEA Asia-Pacific Latin America People Events BI Intelligence Top 100 Agents & Brokers Best Places to Work 2025 Lists Directories Insurance Pricing BI Stock Index Magazine Current Issue Past Issues Subscribe Women to Watch ALL INsurance Resources Risk Perspectives Sponsored Content Webinars White Papers Risk Management Cyber Risks Pricing Trends Mergers & Acquisitions Technology Sponsored Content WSIA RISKWORLD Workers Comp & Safety Workers Comp Cost Control Pain Management Workplace Safety International EMEA Asia-Pacific Latin America People Events BI Intelligence Top 100 Agents & Brokers Best Places to Work 2025 Lists Directories Insurance Pricing BI Stock Index Magazine Current Issue Past Issues Subscribe Women to Watch ALL INsurance Resources Risk Perspectives Sponsored Content Webinars White Papers Risk Management Cyber Risks Pricing Trends Mergers & Acquisitions Technology Sponsored Content WSIA RISKWORLD Workers Comp & Safety Workers Comp Cost Control Pain Management Workplace Safety International EMEA Asia-Pacific Latin America People Events BI Intelligence Top 100 Agents & Brokers Best Places to Work 2025 Lists Directories Insurance Pricing BI Stock Index Magazine Current Issue Past Issues Subscribe Women to Watch ALL INsurance Resources Risk Perspectives Sponsored Content Webinars White Papers Risk Management Cyber Risks Pricing Trends Mergers & Acquisitions Technology Sponsored Content WSIA RISKWORLD Workers Comp & Safety Workers Comp Cost Control Pain Management Workplace Safety International EMEA Asia-Pacific Latin America People Events BI Intelligence Top 100 Agents & Brokers Best Places to Work 2025 Lists Directories Insurance Pricing BI Stock Index Magazine Current Issue Past Issues Subscribe Women to Watch ALL INsurance Resources Risk Perspectives Sponsored Content Webinars White Papers Appeals court revives nurse’s hostile work environment claims by Louise Esola Workers Comp Coverage , Workplace Safety Jul 16, 2026 A federal appeals court Tuesday revived a former Texas hospital nurse’s hostile work environment claims, ruling that evidence of racial and national-origin harassment allegedly occurring during nearly every shift was sufficient for the case to continue. In Brenyah v. Columbia Hospital Corp. of Bay Area , the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the dismissal of Brenda Brenyah’s hostile work environment claims under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Section 1981 and returned them to the trial court for further proceedings. The ruling does not find the hospital liable; it means only that Ms. Brenyah presented enough evidence for the claims to proceed. Ms. Brenyah, a Black naturalized U.S. citizen born in Ghana, began working as a registered nurse at Corpus Christi Medical Center’s Bay Area Hospital in March 2017. She alleged that coworkers mocked African food and her Ghanaian accent, made derogatory comments about Black employees and expressed preferences for Filipino workers. She said the incidents were frequent and interfered with her ability to work. The hospital investigated Ms. Brenyah’s complaints, coached some nurses and offered to transfer her to another unit. The appeals court said, however, that the record raised factual questions about whether the investigation was sufficiently prompt and thorough and whether the hospital’s response was reasonably designed to stop the alleged harassment. Ms. Brenyah presented evidence of missing interview notes, omitted corroborating statements, and continued harassment after the investigation. The court limited Ms. Brenyah’s Title VII hostile work environment claim to conduct covered by her first, timely Equal Employment Opportunity Commission charge. Her Section 1981 hostile work environment claim is not subject to that administrative filing requirement. The appeals court, however, upheld the dismissal of Ms. Brenyah’s discrimination claims that involved the extension of her probation. Although the court found that extending her probation qualified as an adverse employment action, it said the hospital presented a legitimate, nondiscriminatory reason — documented time-management and patient-record issues — and Ms. Brenyah failed to show that explanation was a pretext for discrimination. The court also upheld dismissal of Ms. Brenyah’s Americans with Disabilities Act claims, which arose after an August 2017 car accident left her with a herniated disc and torn knee ligament. The court found no connection between her disability and the extension of her probation because the hospital extended it before she became disabled. It also said she failed to show that she requested an accommodation when she sought to return to work after her medical restrictions had expired, and rejected her ADA interference and retaliation claims. 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