A former executive leader at a local hospital alleges that he was subjected to race discrimination, retaliation, and a hostile work environment after being excluded from key responsibilities and ultimately terminated shortly after raising concerns about discriminatory treatment. The complaint was filed by Canaan Cavalier in the United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana on March 19, 2026, naming Morehouse General Hospital as the defendant.
According to the filing, Cavalier began his employment with Morehouse General Hospital on November 19, 2024. He was recruited directly by the hospital’s Chief Executive Officer to serve in an executive leadership capacity overseeing pharmacy operations. His duties included oversight of pharmacy operations, clinical pharmacy services, the hospital’s 340B pharmaceutical program, and operational compliance functions related to pharmacy services. Cavalier reported directly to the CEO as part of the hospital’s executive leadership team and earned approximately $138,000 annually.
The complaint outlines that in April 2025, Christina Phillips was hired as Chief Nursing Officer. Cavalier states that although he interviewed Phillips prior to her hire and it was confirmed by human resources that he would not report to her, Phillips began interfering with his authority soon after she started. The filing alleges that Phillips excluded him from meetings involving pharmacy operations despite his leadership role over the department and bypassed him in communications regarding those operations. It is further claimed that Phillips ignored professional communications from Cavalier and questioned his authority in front of staff.
Cavalier asserts that Phillips misrepresented his reporting structure to other employees by telling them he reported either to her or another employee within the pharmacy department—statements which he claims were false. According to the complaint, these actions undermined his authority and credibility within the organization.
After confronting Phillips about these issues and clarifying his direct reporting line to the CEO, Cavalier says that exclusion intensified: “Plaintiff was excluded from leadership discussions and decision-making,” “removed from executive communications,” and “a newly issued organizational chart omitted Plaintiff’s leadership position entirely.” Despite raising concerns about what he described as differential treatment based on race with both the CEO Elmore Patterson (who was fired later that evening) and HR executive Adidja Suleman on April 22, 2025, Cavalier alleges that no corrective action was taken.
On May 8th, Cavalier met with Todd (the new CEO) to report that Phillips was targeting him based on race and requested a title realignment. He communicated these concerns again before his termination. On May 15, 2025—less than six months after being hired—Cavalier was terminated around 8:00 am after sending another email complaint about Phillips earlier that morning. The stated reason for termination given by Morehouse General Hospital was “organizational restructuring.” However, Cavalier claims this rationale is pretextual because two other remote employees retained their jobs while he did not.
The complaint notes that prior to termination Cavalier had not been disciplined or warned regarding performance issues. He contends he suffered substantial damages including lost wages, loss of career opportunity, emotional distress, and damage to professional reputation.
The lawsuit brings several causes of action: Title VII race discrimination; Title VII retaliation; violation of rights under Section 1981; and creation of a hostile work environment through repeated acts of harassment and exclusion. The filing states: “Defendant intentionally discriminated against Plaintiff on the basis of race”; “Defendant’s stated reason for termination was pretext for unlawful discrimination”; “Defendant terminated Plaintiff immediately after he made this complaint regarding discrimination”; “These actions altered the conditions of Plaintiff’s employment and created an abusive work environment.”
Cavalier seeks judgment in his favor along with back pay and lost benefits; front pay or reinstatement; compensatory damages; punitive damages; attorney’s fees; costs; and any other relief deemed appropriate by the court. A jury trial has been demanded on all triable issues.
The plaintiff is represented by attorney Natalie Blackman (Bar No. 35662) of The Law Office of Attorney Natalie Blackman in Baton Rouge. The case is identified as Civil Action No. 3:26-cv-879.
Source: 326cv00879_Canaan_Cavalier_v_Morehouse_General_Complaint_Western_District_of_Louisiana.pdf
