A former associate accused Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders in a federal lawsuit on Wednesday of wrongfully terminating her employment as retaliation for complaining about racist behavior by several of the firm’s partners.

The suit, filed by former associate Gita Sankano in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, alleges that Sankano was fired after filing a formal human resources complaint against partner Matthew Bowsher after receiving an “outrageously demeaning, dehumanizing, and demoralizing email.”