Dr. Airica Steed, former CEO of MetroHealth, has initiated a lawsuit against the hospital system and its board of trustees following her termination in August 2024. The lawsuit alleges discrimination, harassment, and a toxic work environment during Steed's tenure. As reported by Cleveland.com, Steed's legal counsel claims breach of employment, defamation, wrongful discharge in violation of public policy, and other misconduct by MetroHealth officials.
In her legal filing, Steed maintains that despite her achievements, including increasing net revenue from $1.6 billion to nearly $2 billion and launching a $150 million improvement plan, she faced continuous undermining by the hospital officials. She accuses the board of failing to shield her from unwarranted discriminatory treatment. She states that this indifference was evident from her self-assessment in her annual performance review, emails, text messages, and public record documents, as noted by Cleveland19 News. On its end, MetroHealth describes the allegations as baseless and has vowed to defend against the claims fully.
The board's chairman, E. Harry Walker, MD, declared that the decision to terminate Steed was not taken lightly and resulted from ongoing concerns regarding her performance, according to his statement at the time of her dismissal. He cited a loss of confidence in her ability to lead the organization. Dr. Steed had an at-will employment arrangement with the hospital, which was confirmed by the board, implying that her employment could be terminated without cause. This dismissal, however, has been challenged by Steed, who argues the actions taken against her were motivated by retaliation and discrimination, as covered by WKYC.
Review documents obtained by Signal Cleveland and WKYC highlighted that Steed met or exceeded most goals set for her, with a notable performance bonus payout, amplifying questions about the board's impetus for her dismissal. "When MetroHealth performed a 360 review on Steed in March of 2024, Steed exceeded the stated goals for every measure of her review and was paid out 121% of her performance bonus as a result of that review," the lawsuit states. Despite this commendable feedback, Steed's rapport with the board and her leadership team management drew criticism, with her scoring below expectations in these areas, as reported by WKYC. Steed's lawsuit has demanded damages exceeding $25,000, marking a significant point of contention between the former CEO and the institution she once led.
