Health Insurance Giant Anthem/Elevance Fires Veteran Nurse of 17 Years Who Suffers from Debilitating Nerve Disease — After Repeatedly Refusing Her Accommodation Requests and Punishing Her for Making Them

Helmer Friedman LLP & The Carr Law Group Represent Former Elevance Health, Inc. Employee Priscilla Kamoi Accusing Anthem Blue Cross and Elevance Health, Inc. of Illegal Employment Practices

March 16, 2026 (Los Angeles, California) – Priscilla Kamoi, a licensed Registered Nurse and a 17-year veteran of Anthem Blue Cross and Elevance Health, has filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles County Superior Court. She alleges that the healthcare giant discriminated against her based on her disability and medical condition, refused to provide reasonable accommodations, retaliated against her for requesting those accommodations, and ultimately terminated her employment. The defendants named in the lawsuit include Elevance Health, Inc., Blue Cross of California, and other related entities, as well as several individual supervisors. (Los Angeles County Superior Court Case No. 26STCV08319). The lawsuit was announced today by the Los Angeles law firms of Helmer Friedman LLP and The Carr Law Group.

According to the complaint, Ms. Kamoi began her employment with the defendants (then known as “Wellpoint”) in August 2008 as a case management nurse in Woodland Hills, California. Throughout her 17 years with the company, her performance was exemplary—she received regular salary increases, annual bonuses, and consistently strong performance evaluations.

The law is clear: an employer cannot penalize a disabled employee for being disabled, nor can it refuse to provide simple accommodations—like a little extra time—and then use the employee’s resulting ‘performance deficiency’ as a pretext for dismissal. That is precisely what the law against disability discrimination seeks to prevent.

In her complaint, Ms. Kamoi alleges that beginning in late 2018, she developed a debilitating condition known as severe trigeminal neuralgia, which caused excruciating, electric-shock-like pain radiating into her head and face, as well as difficulties with speaking, chewing, swallowing, and sleeping. In a January 2023 email to her supervisors, she included photographs of herself during a pain episode, describing the ordeal as so severe that she could not eat dinner until after 11:00 p.m., when the pain finally subsided.

There is a cruel irony in a major health insurance company—one that profits from the healthcare system—showing such little regard for the health and dignity of a nurse who has dedicated 17 years to caring for its members.

The complaint outlines a relentless cycle spanning nearly three years: the defendants imposed stringent new hourly productivity quotas on Ms. Kamoi, then disciplined her when her disability prevented her from meeting those quotas. They subsequently refused her repeated requests for reasonable accommodations and then disciplined her again. According to the complaint, when Ms. Kamoi disclosed her limitations to a supervisor, she was told, “Then get another job.” After her physician submitted a formal accommodation request in May 2024—asking only for necessary breaks and additional time to complete assignments during pain episodes—the defendants denied the request within two weeks.

Ms. Kamoi alleges a pattern of escalating retaliation: productivity standards were increased again in January 2025; her performance was monitored on a stringent weekly basis, while other nurses were reviewed monthly; and on May 22, 2025, she was summoned to a meeting and fired. The complaint also states that Ms. Kamoi, as a Kenyan-born Black woman, experienced discrimination based on her race and national origin.

Current and former employees of Anthem Blue Cross, Blue Cross of California, or Elevance Health, Inc. who wish to report their work experiences or learn more about the lawsuit should complete a case evaluation form.

Commenting on California law, Gregory Helmer of Helmer Friedman LLP stated, “The law is clear: an employer cannot penalize a disabled employee for being disabled, nor can it refuse to provide simple accommodations—like a little extra time—and then use the employee’s resulting ‘performance deficiency’ as a pretext for dismissal. That is precisely what the law against disability discrimination seeks to prevent.” James Carr added, “There is a cruel irony in a major health insurance company—one that profits from the healthcare system—showing such little regard for the health and dignity of a nurse who has dedicated 17 years to caring for its members.”

For more information about this lawsuit, please contact Gregory Helmer of Helmer Friedman LLP at (310-396-7714 or ghelmer@helmerfriedman.com) or James Carr of The Carr Law Group at (310-919-8057 or james@carrlawgrp.com).

Similarly, if you are a witness or have information that would be relevant to the claims of Ms. Kamoi, please contact Mr. Helmer and/or Mr. Carr.

 

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