Case Background
DonQuenick Yvonne Joppy, a Black registered nurse, filed a federal lawsuit against her former employer, HCA-HealthOne LLC, doing business as The Medical Center of Aurora, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado. Joppy worked as a critical care nurse in the hospital's Intensive Care Unit from June 5, 2017, until her termination on June 4, 2019. She alleged the hospital discriminated against her because of her race and retaliated against her for complaining about that discrimination, in violation of 42 U.S.C. § 1981. The case proceeded to a jury trial.
Cause
Joppy alleged that throughout her two-year tenure, the overwhelmingly non-Black management in the ICU subjected her to racially motivated microaggressions, isolation, and unequal treatment. She claimed charge nurses publicly screamed at her, criticized her work in ways her non-Black colleagues never experienced, and routinely left her alone in pods with up to three critically ill patients while other nurses worked as a team. When she expressed interest in additional cardiac training, a charge nurse denied her the opportunity by questioning her critical thinking and organizational skills. Joppy further alleged the same charge nurse told her she should clean his house and clip his dog's toenails because she was good at cleaning.
Joppy reported these issues to her supervisor, Paul Page, in February and March 2019 and also filed a complaint with the hospital's corporate headquarters alleging race discrimination. She received no response to any of her complaints.
In March 2019, Joppy applied for a transfer to the RN Critical Care Float Pool. She was selected for an interview, but on the morning of the interview, the hospital cancelled it because she was on a Performance Improvement Plan. Joppy alleged she never knew about the PIP, and her supervisor Page told her he was also unaware of it. The hospital placed her on a formal 60-day PIP on March 25, 2019, which Joppy alleged was retaliatory and based on unsubstantiated accusations from the same charge nurses she had complained about.
The events surrounding a patient's end-of-life care on May 24, 2019, became the focal point of the termination. A critically ill 94-year-old patient arrived at the emergency room with septic shock and multiorgan failure and was transferred to the ICU for palliative care. The attending physician ordered end-of-life measures and instructed that all life-sustaining treatments be stopped. Joppy, who assisted with the transition after her shift ended, turned off the patient's ventilator following phone instructions from a respiratory therapist who was unavailable to come immediately. The patient's death certificate listed the cause of death as natural causes — septic shock due to pneumonia and bowel infarction with acute renal failure. The coroner confirmed the death resulted from natural causes.
The hospital suspended Joppy on May 28, 2019, and terminated her on June 4, 2019. No other employees involved in the patient's end-of-life care were suspended or terminated.
Injury
Joppy alleged she suffered lost wages, lost promotional opportunities, emotional distress, mental anguish, damage to her reputation, and harm to her nursing career.
Damages Sought
Joppy sought economic damages including back pay and benefits, front pay, compensatory damages for emotional distress and mental anguish, punitive damages, pre- and post-judgment interest, attorney's fees, and injunctive relief.
Key Arguments and Proceedings
Legal Representation
Plaintiff: DonQuenick Yvonne Joppy
· Counsel for Plaintiff: Jennifer Robinson | Brian P. Sanford | Elizabeth J. Sanford | Lisa Rae Sahli | Robert Mark Liechty
Defandant: HCA-HealthOne LLC d/b/a The Medical Center of Aurora
· Counsel for Defandant: Lisa Hogan | Andrew Daniel Barr | David D. Powell , Jr. | Martine Tariot Wells
Key Arguments or Remarks by Counsel
Claims
Joppy brought two federal claims under 42 U.S.C. § 1981 against HCA-HealthOne LLC d/b/a The Medical Center of Aurora that proceeded to jury verdict.
Retaliation
Joppy alleged the hospital terminated her because she complained about race discrimination. She argued that her complaints to Page in February and March 2019, her complaint to corporate headquarters, and her continued reports to her subsequent supervisor constituted protected activity, and that the hospital's decision to place her on a PIP, block her transfer, and ultimately fire her were retaliatory responses to those complaints.
Race Discrimination
Joppy alleged the hospital terminated her because of her race. She argued the hospital treated her more harshly than non-Black employees, subjected her to a hostile work environment driven by racial bias, and used the events of May 24, 2019, as a pretext to fire her while giving non-Black employees involved in the same patient's care a pass.
Defense
The Defandants denied all allegations of racial discrimination and retaliation. They maintained the hospital terminated Joppy for her failure to follow policies and protocols designed to ensure patient dignity, safety, and comfort during end-of-life care, and for practicing outside the scope of her nursing practice. The Defandants specifically contended that Joppy turned off the ventilator of a living, intubated patient without authorization, and that doing so violated hospital policy and exceeded what a nurse was permitted to do. They denied that the respiratory therapist delegated or instructed Joppy to turn off the ventilator. The Defandants also denied that Page was unaware of the PIP and denied that Joppy made discrimination complaints that went unaddressed. They raised affirmative defenses including legitimate non-discriminatory reasons for the employment actions, good faith conduct, failure to mitigate damages, and after-acquired evidence of wrongdoing.
Jury Verdict
The jury returned a unanimous verdict on August 19, 2025, in favor of Plaintiff DonQuenick Yvonne Joppy and against Defandant HCA-HealthOne LLC d/b/a The Medical Center of Aurora on both claims that proceeded to trial.
On the retaliation claim, the jury found that Joppy proved by a preponderance of the evidence that but for her complaint about race discrimination, the hospital would not have terminated her.
On the race discrimination claim, the jury found that Joppy proved by a preponderance of the evidence that but for her race, the hospital would not have terminated her.
The jury awarded Joppy $5,000,000 in compensatory damages for past and present emotional distress, pain, suffering, inconvenience, mental anguish, humiliation, embarrassment, and damage to reputation. The jury also found that the hospital intentionally engaged in discrimination or retaliation with malice or reckless indifference to Joppy's rights under Section 1981 and awarded $15,000,000 in punitive damages. The total jury award was $20,000,000.
Court documents are available upon request at [email protected]
