Racial Lawsuit Pending

Three former employees of Greenoaks Memorial Park and Funeral Home are suing Service Corporation International and Service Corporation International (SCI) Louisiana Funeral Services, Inc. for damages suffered as a result of being fired after reporting alleged racial, compensatory damages and sexual discrimination by sales manager Tom Still.
Kelly Langehennig, Ronald Laborde, both unit managers, and his wife Patti Laborde, who was a secretary to Still, were the subjects of harassment over a period of five months.
The suit stated that his prejudices became apparent during the course of business between Greenoaks and Kendall Phills, wife of the late professional basketball player and Southern University graduate, Bobby Phills.
Langehennig handled the sale of the cemetery plot to Phills. Greenoaks Memorial Park, which is located at 9595 Florida Blvd., in Baton Rouge, is owned by SCI Louisiana Funeral Services Inc. located at 1929 Allen Parkway in Houston.
“Mrs. Phills expressed an interest in building a large mausoleum for her husband. She was not exactly sure how much money she actually had because Bobby Phills’ estate had not yet been settled,” said Langehenning. “I told her that she should not feel pressured and could change her mind about the extent and cost of the mausoleum.”
According to Pattie, Still used many racial connotations to refer to Ms. Phills’ deal.
“He (Still) questioned Kelly about ‘when are you going to get your “nigger” back in here to close the deal?’ He knew that Phills had just signed a $33 million dollar contract,” Langehennig said.
According to the lawsuit Still was overheard making remarks referring to Langehennig as a “broad” who “doesn’t know her place.” Still was heard to say that what “the broad” doesn’t realize is that “I will go down to get rid of her.”
“Still openly criticized and humiliated me in front of my co- workers. He went as far as announcing at a meeting that I would be presenting a training on family estate planning kits, a subject of which I had no knowledge,” said Langehennig
According to Pattie, Langhennig met with Terry Tillman, Area Sales Director and filed a complaint about Still. She told them about Still’s prejudice against her because she was an aggressive, female salesperson.
“I overheard many of the things Still said and at first I resisted talking about the incidents in fear of my job. After repeated assurances from Harold Powell, a corporate official of SCI that I would be protected, I broke my silence, ” said Pattie. “Still suggested that I discriminate against African-American job applicants and how he did everything in his power to try to make Kelly resign,” she added.
Shortly after Pattie’s meeting with Powell, Ron was demoted from Family Services Supervisor to Counselor.
“I believe that Still retaliated against my husband because of my testimony to Powell expressing my opposition to his racist and sexist behavior,” said Pattie.
Later Ron was reinstated as Family Service Unit Manager. At the time he was reinstated, he was asked to sign a memorandum about what had happened in the preceding weeks in an effort to exonerate Still. Ron disagreed with the content of the statement and refused to sign.
“After my husband was reinstated, Still followed him around taking note of his every move. He removed several of my duties, delayed my annual pay raise, and informing other employees to going into my office,” said Pattie.
Ron resigned September 13, 2000. Later that day Pattie and Langehennig were fired. They were told that they were fired because they contributed to a hostile environment.
“Tom Still made Kelly, my husband, my life a living hell. If you were not white you did not have a chance with him,” said Laborde.
The lawsuit also stated that Still began to refer to Kendra and her advisor Valerie Dinkins as “the lesbian niggers,” after a May 1, 2000 meeting in Charlotte, N.C. Also stated in the suit was that Still dranked heavily during the trip and expressed a desire for Langehennig to go to the “Men’s Club” which is apparently a strip club in Charlotte.
The body of Baton Rouge native, Bobby Phills still rest at Greenoaks Cemetery. Still’s secretary stated that he is not willing to comment on the suit. A court date has not been for the suit.