Former employee sues Swansea dentist for alleged firing after she denied his advances
A former dental assistant is suing the man she once worked for at Emerald Terrace Dental in Swansea after she says he made racist comments toward her and propositioned her for sex.
In a lawsuit filed Nov. 22, 2019, in St. Clair County Court, La’Tishia Bentley accuses dentist Yun Sup Kim of firing her after just two months employment at his dental office, which is located at 2 Emerald Terrace. The incidents in question occurred during that time.
The lawsuit charges that Kim violated the Illinois Human Rights Act by creating a hostile work environment, discriminating against Bentley, sexually harassing her and retaliating against her when she denied his advances.
Bentley was hired as a dental assistant at the office on April 9. According to her complaint, on April 30, she became dizzy while at work and Kim insisted on taking her to a local CVS store to get her blood pressure medication. The lawsuit states that when Kim pulled his car up to the front of the building to pick Bentley up, he told her, “Hey Bentley, you have to sit in the back where the rest of the blacks sit.”
The lawsuit also states that Kim made several racist jokes around Bentley during her time at the dental office.
On June 5, Kim allegedly offered to buy Bentley a home if she agreed to have sex with him once a week, the complaint alleges. He then lifted the center console of his truck to show her VIP passes to Larry Flynt’s Hustler Club, a strip club in Washington Park, the lawsuit states.
Bentley says she was “appalled by the comment and immediately got out of (Kim’s) truck.” Three days later, the lawsuit states, Kim repeatedly called Bentley on her cell phone, wondering why she would not accept his offer.
On June 10, Kim repeated his offer to buy Bentley a home, the lawsuit states. When Bentley again refused, Kim became angry with her and fired her the next day, according to the complaint.
Bentley’s lawyer, John Leskera, said that the lawsuit “speaks for itself” when asked for comment. An attorney was not listed for Kim.
The lawsuit asks for compensation including loss of employment, loss of past and future wages and emotional humiliation and distress.
In October of last year, Kim was indicted on 13 counts of wire and health care fraud for allegedly falsifying bills to Illinois Medicaid for cavity fillings and surgical tooth extractions that were never performed. According to those charges, he collected more than $700,000.
The criminal case, which is being prosecuted in the U.S. District Court of Southern Illinois, has been continued from Dec. 12, 2019.
This story was originally published January 8, 2020 at 9:51 AM.
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