Suit: Bank fires worker over comment because she’s white

PITTSBURGH – A Pittsburgh bank employee who said on social media that a man who drove through a crowd of protesters should have used a bus instead of a car is claiming in a lawsuit that she was fired because she’s white.

The Tribune-Review reports that Lisa Ellis of Mt. Lebanon made the comment June 30, three days after a Pittsburgh police officer was charged in the shooting death of an unarmed black teenager. The shooting fueled daily protests around Pittsburgh, and a man was charged with driving his car through a crowd of activists, injuring three.

Ellis wrote on Facebook, “Total BS. Too bad he didn’t have a bus to plow through.”

BNY Mellon fired Ellis, who filed a wrongful termination suit Friday.

The bank says employees are expected to adhere to its code of conduct.