Former flight nurse sues Carle Health, claims she was discriminated against, fired due to pregnancy

URBANA, Ill. (WAND) — A former flight nurse is suing Carle Health, claiming she was discriminated against due to her pregnancy and ultimately fired.

Shelby Scholes was employed with Carle from June 2023 through August 27, 2024.

In her lawsuit, Scholes claimed she had always received high performance reviews.

Scholes said she told Carle she was pregnant in October 2023. She said her pregnancy was labeled high risk and that she developed preeclampsia.

She could not fit into the flight suit and requested a maternity suit. She said she was told, "How about you just don't get pregnant," and was told to "figure it out" by finding a men's suit that would fit.

Around January 2024, Scholes said her supervisor became overly critical of her work; despite knowing she was a high-risk pregnancy. After completing back-to-back flights, Scholes said she became incredibly ill, and she and her partner took "crew rest." She said her supervisor said she was "wasting the company's money" and told her she needed to go home if she was sick.

Scholes claimed she was contacted while on maternity leave and told her job had been posted for other people to apply. She said they told her if no one else had been hired by the end of her maternity leave she could reapply for her job.

She said she was offered other positions, but the pay would have been $10 an hour less than her current salary, and she was told they would not match it.

Scholes said after going through Human Resources, HR told her she could not be fired and that she would still have her job when she returned. When she came back, she said she wrote a letter to HR concerned about retaliation, but that her letter went unanswered. She claimed her supervisors targeted her when she returned, and she learned from others that they were looking for any reason to terminate her.

On Aug. 12, 2024, she said she was failed on a performance exam that she had performed well on. She was placed on a performance improvement plan. She said someone assigned to provide training to her would instead sleep on the job. She was failed on a follow up exam, although she said she provided the correct answers.

She was terminated on Aug. 27, 2024.

In the lawsuit, Scholes is seeking back pay with interest, front pay, compensatory and punitive damages, attorney's fees and costs, and any further relief the Court deems just.

Carle Health acknowledged awareness of the allegations, but said it was unable to address litigation or employment details. A representative said that the health system will respond through the appropriate legal process.