A lawyer named Sanat Ranganathan verbally abused and threatened a female coworker before getting away with it.
Just a few years ago, he did so.
Although he was an attorney, there were no consequences for his behavior because the female employee was a janitor.
I’ve described the instance in which he verbally harassed a female coworker in the evaluation that follows. I’ve also listed the repercussions his acts brought about:
Sanat Ranganathan, who is he?
At the Law Offices of Sanat Ranganathan, Sanat serves as the principal attorney. He was born and raised in Asia and has also traveled extensively across Holland and England.
Sanat studied law at Duke University School of Law in the US, Warwick University School of Law in the UK, and Leiden University Europa Institute in the Netherlands.
He asserts to have assisted businesses with contract negotiations, dispute resolution, international law, commercial law, contract drafting, and civil rights. He currently serves as the firm’s lead lawyer at the Law Offices of Sanat Ranganathan.
His appointment as Northern Illinois University’s university counsel is the most notable moment in his professional life. There, he terrified a female janitor by how he treated her. I’ll go into more detail about the situation in the following portion of this review:
When Sanat Rangnathan was “Reprimanded” for verbally abusing and threatening a female employee
Susan Phelps was a third-floor office cleaner at Altgeld Hall in 2019. The NIU President’s office is located in the same building.
When a man’s voice called out, asking who was there, she responded that she was cleaning.
Sanat Ranganathan burst in suddenly.
Susan claimed that he began shouting at her and questioned how long she had been employed there. He then began to inquire as to how long her coworkers had been employed there.
Sanat questioned her authority and retorted, “How dare you go to my supervisor about a problem with a few Kleenex,”
Before this incident, Susan Phelps had worked at NIU for 13 years, and she was terrified.
She was being severely yelled at by Sanat. Susan said that in order to protect herself, she placed a trash can between them. She wished to avoid harm.
Susan said, “He was tossing his arms in the air.” She emphasized that he was yelling at her and that she was worried he would strike her at any second.
According to the records, Phelps went up to a worker at the office in November 2018 because there were tissues on the floor. She expected the employee to tidy up more after themselves.
Sanat did not leave the tissues in the office, according to University records. However, he believed Susan was accusing him of being the employee who was leaving tissues behind in April 2019.
Details of the incident:
Sanat charged towards Susan as she attempted to flee in the stairway. We’re not finished, he yelled.
Susan’s claims were confirmed by other witnesses.
Susan started using her sick leave and vacation time after the traumatic event. The university’s associate general counsel was Sanat Ranganathan.
Susan informed the NIU Human Resources division and the general counsel about Sanat’s conduct.
Sanat was instructed to work from home while an internal investigation was being conducted by the institution.
In attempt to address his behavior, they also mandated that he finish an employee help program with HR. After the investigation was finished, Sanat came back.
What Sanat Ranganathan Replied With
The Daily Chronicle received a statement from Sanat Ranganathan. He claimed that prior to this occurrence, he had never met Susan Phels.
He said that the chat was cordial and professional.
He said that he just followed Susan into the stairway to find out the cause of her agitation. He also expressed regret for what he called a “miscommunication.”
Sanat claimed that he merely wanted to add, “Please advise your colleague to verify the proper person next time as it makes me seem bad,” when he yelled across the hallway.
He claims Susan began to sob and left. He continues by saying that he was astonished and that he followed her to find out why she was sobbing.
Sanat’s remark gives the impression that he spoke to her casually and amicably. Numerous witnesses stated that this was certainly not the case.
The Mild Penalty Sanat Ranganathan Received:
The institution awarded him a formal reprimand as payment for verbally abusing and frightening a female employee. Additionally, they told him to take human resources training.
I’m done now.
He wasn’t given any additional punishment for his frightening and nearly violent outburst directed at a female employee.
The general counsel office’s Gregory Brady had formally reprimanded Ranganathan in a letter. Brady claimed that his behavior was both unprofessional and out of character for his position.
Brady claimed in the letter that Ranganathan seemed to have problems moving on after an event. The tissue came from November of last year. But in April 2019, Sanat contacted Susan.
The union criticized this inaction and referred to it as a “important safety risk.” Allowing Sanat to go back to work, according to the staff representative Sara Dorner, would convey the incorrect message to other employees.
NIU should have a zero tolerance policy, according to the union. They emphasized how Sanat Ranganathan harassed a female employee verbally. He pursued her twice as she made an effort to flee.
The NIU administration communicated the message that such behavior is permissible by handing down such a lax punishment.
Phelps demanded that Ranganathan, the institute’s lawyer earning $80,000 year, be fired by the university.
Sanat is not the only person whose wealth and prestige allowed him to escape any serious punishment. James Khuri used his purchasing power to prevent his son from serving any significant jail time for running over a young girl.
Conclusion
Imagine one day your mother is afraid and scared when she returns from work. Why? because she was threatened at work by one of her employees.
What would you do?
Additionally, how would you feel if the harmful deeds of that abusive coworker went unpunished?
Whatever feelings spring to mind are exactly what Susan’s family members had to be experiencing at the moment. They sadly didn’t receive the justice they merited.
What do you believe? Do you believe a female janitor should be subjected to verbal abuse at work by a lawyer? What kind of penalties are appropriate for such workplace abuse?
