Vidal v. ILL. HUMAN RIGHTS COM'N

Petitioner, who is black and from Nigeria, filed a complaint with the Illinois Human Rights Commission (Commission) accusing respondent, St. Mary’s Hospital of East St. Louis, of employment discrimination. The complaint alleged disparate treatment, i.e., that the hospital fired petitioner for neglect of duty but did not fire American employees, whether black or white, for similar offenses.

An administrative law judge ruled in petitioner’s favor, but the Commission reversed. Petitioner appealed, claiming: (1) the Commission failed to give proper weight to the findings of the administrative law…