PORT ANGELES, Wash.–A former executive has filed a lawsuit alleging Strait View Credit Union engaged in retaliation and discrimination based on ethnicity and created a hostile work environment.
The complaint, filed with the Clallam County Superior Court, was filed by ex-employee Corina Ruiz-Buren, who started working as vice president of operations for SVCU in September 2023 with the understanding that she would transition to interim CEO in March 2024, according to the allegations.
The suit alleges that during onboarding, Vice President Lori Frederick allegedly told Ruiz-Buren that then-CEO Lisa Roening “could not run the credit union even if she wanted to.”
‘Mean Girls’
The complaint, first reported by the Peninsula Daily News, stated that Frederick then complained about Roening failing to engage in proper discipline for non-productive employees and that there was a “mean girls” scenario happening between several female staff.
“After several months, Ruiz-Buren still hadn’t received any in-office or internal training for the transition to CEO, according to court documents,” the Peninsula Daily News reported. “ At that point, she told Roening, board Chair Alan Slind and board Vice Chair Mike Reetze that Frederick was undermining her with SVCU staff.
SVCU did not immediately respond to a request for comment, the news publication reported.
Additional Allegations
Other allegations made in the complaint include:
- “In December 2023, Ruiz-Buren hired a male candidate to serve as teller, according to James McCanna, a lawyer from McCanna Law, PLLC, which is representing Ruiz-Buren,” the Peninsula Daily News reported.
- “At that point, Roening allegedly said, ‘I don’t know how the girls will take working with a man,’ and Frederick allegedly responded, “Well, he’s gay, so that’s kind of like a woman,’ according to court documents,” the Peninsula Daily News reported.
- “In January 2024, Ruiz-Buren assisted an employee ‘she reasonably believed was being subjected to a hostile work environment,’ by accompanying the employee to Roening, according to court documents,” the report stated.
Claims of Harassment
The Peninsula Daily News reported that, according to the complaint, Roening allegedly dismissed the complaint. The suit further alleges Ruiz-Buren also claimed she faced harassment due to her Mexican American heritage.
“The documents cited a situation from November 2023, when Ruiz-Buren complained to Roening and Frederick about the core system provider and IT partner not taking responsibility for the inadequately functioning core system,” the Peninsula Daily News reported. “At that point, Frederick allegedly said, Oh, don’t make the Mexican mad,’ and Roening chuckled and walked away.”
Finally, the complaint alleged that Ruiz-Buren suffered from retaliation.
Cooperation With Regulators
The Peninsula Daily News reported that in September 2024, Ruiz-Buren cooperated with the Department of Federal Institutions (DFI) by providing them requested documents.
“In November, the DFI presented the results of its exam, including corrections required of SVCU. Ruiz-Buren implemented corrections and reported it to the board of directors,” the Peninsula Daily News said. “In early January 2024, Ruiz-Buren met with the SVCU Supervisor Committee, under the company’s whistleblower policy, and told them that Roening allegedly drank on the job, there was a hostile workplace environment, there were challenges holding staff accountable and that the DFI had recently been involved with the company, according to court documents.
“A few days later, on Jan. 14, SVCU placed Ruiz-Buren on leave. She was terminated on Jan. 31,” according to the report.