A Black woman who was fired from her job at a property management agency is suing her former employer for allegedly facilitating a racially hostile environment in which white employees casually used racial slurs and forced her to speak to minority tenants so they wouldn’t have to.
Stefanie Eubanks began working against Prism Real Estate Services in Kansas in 2024 as an assistant property manager, according to The Kansas City Star.
She worked there for less than a year, and her suit alleges that she was hired so that one white female employee wouldn’t have to speak to “Black,” “minority,” or “migrant” tenants.
The suit states that her former colleague was reportedly “open about not wanting to speak” to those tenants.
The complaint also recounts how one white employee in his 60s allegedly referred to Black and migrant tenants as “monkeys” daily and even told Eubanks his grandfather was a member of the Ku Klux Klan and “hated African American people.”
Court documents say that the employee would use “a litany” of racist and ethnic slurs to refer to tenants in the building, and refused to speak with Eubanks or follow any of her instructions.
Eubanks reported the man’s behavior multiple times, but the company did nothing to address it.
On another occasion, one employee told Eubanks how her son kept getting in trouble at school for using the N-word, then repeatedly used the slur in front of Eubanks, prompting Eubanks to leave the conversation, according to the suit.
Eubanks took a leave of absence around September 2024 after becoming “incredibly anxious” in her workplace due to the racist remarks.
About a month later, she tried to return, but the company said she needed a doctor’s note that cleared her for work. The suit states she “made several attempts” to get her doctor to fill out the required forms, and also communicated the issues she encountered at her workplace.
Prism fired Eubanks on October 17, 2024. The lawsuit does not mention why, but states that during her employment, she received “good reviews for her work and performance.”
In response to the complaint, the company stated, “While we are unable to comment on the specific details of pending legal matters; the unproven and unsubstantiated allegations made in this lawsuit by one former employee are wholly inconsistent with our company’s values, policies, and standards of conduct expected from all Prism team members. Prism will continue to provide a workplace environment where all employees feel safe, valued, and empowered, and we look forward to a positive resolution of this matter in a court of law.”
Prism Real Estate Services was founded in 2012 and manages a large number of multi-family and office complexes in Kansas and Missouri around the Kansas City area.
Google reviews going back to 2024 show nothing but one-star reviews from tenants and people who filed lease applications, citing poor communication and performance.
“This company couldn’t be more of a joke to rent from they don’t care about their residents anymore than they care about their employees save your money and your sanity,” one review read.
“Claims I owed them money which I have receipts of paying and when I called to figure out why they claimed the “lady” who handles that stuff wasn’t in, so I said ok I’ll call tomorrow. I literally called everyday, multiple times a day for about a week or 2 excluding weekends and got no answer. Now they are affecting my credit score almost a year later. Don’t do business with these crooks!” another person wrote.
“DO NOT I repeat DO NOT rent from this crooked place. Their show unit had roaches but I tried to give them the benefit of the doubt and I was in a bit of a bind needing to get into the school district before school started,” another review reads. “After putting down a $300 deposit I waited for almost a month to find out if I had been approved. No one would call me back, answer my emails or my phone calls. I finally emailed and canceled my application on August 3rd to which I of course received a prompt response. They cancelled my app and advised that my deposit would be returned within 30 days, which is required by law. It has now been almost 60 days and not only have they not returned my deposit, but they will not answer emails or phone calls. Their corporate office will not either. As a property manager myself I am very familiar with the process and the laws and what they are doing is illegal.”
