Sea Speed said:

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I think she will be persona non grata.

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Hairy and fat is no way for a South American woman to be….

WestHoustonAg79 said:

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Sea Speed said:

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I think she will be persona non grata.

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Hairy and fat is no way for a South American woman to be….

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That's not fair. There is more to her than just her areolas.

Ryan the Temp said:

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WestHoustonAg79 said:

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Sea Speed said:

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I think she will be persona non grata.

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Hairy and fat is no way for a South American woman to be….

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That's not fair. There is more to her than just her areolas.

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Do tell…

WestHoustonAg79 said:

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Ryan the Temp said:

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WestHoustonAg79 said:

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Sea Speed said:

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I think she will be persona non grata.

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Hairy and fat is no way for a South American woman to be….

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That's not fair. There is more to her than just her areolas.

---

Do tell…

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Oh, I don't know for sure (and don't want to know), but sometimes a person just gives off a "dinner plate" vibe.

Ryan the Temp said:

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WestHoustonAg79 said:

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Ryan the Temp said:

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WestHoustonAg79 said:

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Sea Speed said:

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I think she will be persona non grata.

---

Hairy and fat is no way for a South American woman to be….

---

That's not fair. There is more to her than just her areolas.

---

Do tell…

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Oh, I don't know for sure (and don't want to know), but sometimes a person just gives off a "dinner plate" vibe.

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I mean.....shes still probably a good 15-20 years away from being a 2 fried eggs hanging from a nail situation...

Ratios matter.

Somebody post the juicy bits

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/houston/article/lina-hidalgo-retaliation-lawsuit-22497237.php

AlaskanAg99 said:

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Somebody post the juicy bits

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/politics/houston/article/lina-hidalgo-retaliation-lawsuit-22497237.php

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Lina Hidalgo sued by former employee for discrimination, retaliation
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo listens as a citizen voices concerns with Harris County flood control directives during Commissioners Court in Houston, Thursday, June 26, 2025.
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo listens as a citizen voices concerns with Harris County flood control directives during Commissioners Court in Houston, Thursday, June 26, 2025.

Kirk Sides/Houston Chronicle
A former employee of Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo is suing the county, alleging she was fired for filing a discrimination complaint.

The lawsuit highlights a common issue for employees of elected officials: human resources and other departments have little sway over elected leaders. In most cases, the power to address workers' complaints lies mainly in voters' hands, as elected officials are broadly immune from disciplinary or other corrective action under Texas law and numerous county offices are elected positions.

Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo discusses security and emergency response preparations ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Wednesday, May 27, 2026.
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo discusses security and emergency response preparations ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Wednesday, May 27, 2026.

Office of Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo
The plaintiff, Tera Roberson, claimed Hidalgo's staff openly discussed that the judge "preferred white men" for certain roles within her communications department, and viewed this as the reason she was passed over for a promotion.

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Roberson filed a complaint with Harris County Human Resources and Risk Management on Nov. 11, 2024, according to the suit. Eleven days later, after requesting an update on her complaint, she was fired, the suit alleged.



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Roberson, a Black woman and mother of two, had been promoted to a leadership role in Hidalgo's office just one month prior to her termination, according to the suit.

"One would like to believe that when you follow the process and make a complaint, that it will be looked at properly," Roberson said in an interview. "Instead, the exact opposite happened to me. Once I was informed they were looking into it, I was fired almost immediately."

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Roberson is suing for race and sex discrimination, as well as retaliation.

A spokesperson for Hidalgo rejected Roberson's allegations in a statement.

"These allegations are false. Judge Hidalgo's administration has appointed qualified and accomplished women, including women of color, to key leadership positions within her office and various county appointments," the statement said. "Her administration has a strong record of elevating women to positions of authority at the highest levels of county government."

Hidalgo's office of a few dozen staff currently only employs a handful of white men, and her communications director is a Black woman.

Roberson's experience isn't uncommon similar scenarios have played out at nearly every level of government in Texas, from mayors accused of sexual harassment to officials accused of creating a hostile work environment. Most recently, state District Judge Nathan Milliron was filmed in a viral video belittling a Harris County information technology employee.

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Erika Owens, the county's HR director, previously said her department is not empowered to discipline elected officials. Employees are nonetheless required to report instances of discrimination and harassment, according to the county's employment manual.

Roberson officially was fired for an "ongoing or repeated inability to communicate effectively with Judge Hidalgo," according to the suit. But she said her termination was the first time that issue had been brought up, and she had never been written up or disciplined prior.

Hidalgo hired Roberson in February 2024 to assist with multimedia communications and storytelling on social media and other platforms. Hidalgo later brought on John Mone, a former news reporter who has since left the county and is now a consultant for county judge-elect Letitia Plummer's campaign.

Angelica Kauffman, Hidalgo's chief of staff, later asked the pair to co-lead Hidalgo's communications team, according to the suit.

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In this role, the lawsuit claimed Roberson was expected to "help guide or support" Mone, despite Kauffman allegedly indicating to Roberson that Mone, who is white, was Hidalgo's preferred choice to eventually serve as the sole communications director. Mone declined to comment.

"She wanted me to co-lead a team with someone who I had already been told was the judge's preference," Roberson said in the interview.

'Things just went to hell'

Roberson, who previously worked in news and television production, transitioned into county government after taking a professional hiatus following the death of her son in 2022.

Roberson was responsible for producing multimedia content on social media and other platforms that highlighted the work of Hidalgo's staff.

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"I was so excited about having that job because it married everything that I had done in the past," Roberson said.

But the duties associated with her role were never a problem, she said.

Roberson said she accompanied Hidalgo on a trip to Washington D.C. to lean on federal officials for disaster funding after roughly 50 homes were flooded in early May 2024 just prior to the derecho. Roberson said the trip went well until she ordered cold hummus for Hidalgo's lunch. The judge prefers it warm, Roberson said.

"Things just went to hell," Roberson said. "My learning curve was not the job, because I can do it in my sleep. My learning curve was: 'Oh god, I ordered the wrong hummus,' even though I'm not her personal assistant."

Roberson described a work culture in which employees who irritated Hidalgo were "iced out," sidelined or ignored. Experienced staffers may be accustomed to the demands of their elected bosses, Roberson said, but the dynamic was an upsetting surprise for a role that, on paper, suited her skillset.

Hidalgo's office did not address Roberson's allegations regarding work culture.

Roberson has been unable to find steady employment since she was terminated nearly two years ago. She spent months clearing the administrative hurdles necessary before the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission granted her the right to sue. The agency even found that there was "reasonable cause" to believe Roberson was retaliated against, according to the lawsuit.

"In 35 years of practice, I can probably count on one hand how many times EEOC has issued a reasonable cause finding," said Terrence Robinson, Roberson's attorney. "The EEOC usually finds that there's insufficient information to make a determination either way."

Roberson said her suit will be worth it if it spurs reform for county employees. Her father was a railroad worker during integration, she said, and he suffered abuse from white workers who opposed working alongside Black employees.

"My dad, he probably didn't get to stand up for himself back then," Roberson said. "So I'm doing it for him, and for anybody else who might find themselves in a situation like this."

Was hoping it was Russ Poppe suing her ass.

Discrimination in the workplace is incredibly difficult to prove without a smoking gun. For the EEOC to issue a right-to-sue letter in a discrimination complaint means there's some damning evidence of discrimination.

Ryan the Temp said:

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Discrimination in the workplace is incredibly difficult to prove without a smoking gun. For the EEOC to issue a right-to-sue letter in a discrimination complaint means there's some damning evidence of discrimination.

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Believe all men/women…this is sarcasm and not directed at you, RTT…but you're right that is a battle that whoever is fighting can't win…regardless of how much I hope they would.

Jugstore Cowboy said:

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Now I'm thinking of "Warm Hummus" or "Lina's Hummus Warmer" for my next dumb user name.

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Or "Lina's warm hummer*"