Washington Post Reporter Sues Paper For Discrimination After Disclosing Past Sexual Assault

It is humiliating to again and again have to tell my colleagues and editors that I am not allowed to do my job fully because I was assaulted. I believe it’s important for you to know that The Post’s decision on this matter has had negative repercussions for me personally in the past.

Although The Post has since lifted its ban, allowing Sonmez to write stories on issues of sexual misconduct and violence, the belated reversal of that rule didn’t undo the harm she had already experienced. The lawsuit states that Sonmez had suffered “economic loss, humiliation, embarrassment, mental and emotional distress, and the deprivation of her rights to equal employment opportunities” as a result of the situation.

Unsurprisingly, this experience has had a significant and lasting effect on both Sonmez’s mental and physical health, reports CNN. “At various times, Ms. Sonmez became severely depressed, developed intense anxiety and received treatment from therapists and psychiatrists who she continues to see today,” the lawsuit says. “She also experienced physical pain, including severe pain in her jaw from grinding her teeth at night,” which eventually lead her to develop TMJ (temporomandibular joint dysfunction) and required her to undergo “two oral surgery procedures” to relieve the severe jaw pain.

In her suit, Sonmez asks for compensatory and punitive damages in addition to a permanent injunction compelling The Post and its editors to “take all affirmative steps necessary to remedy the effects of the illegal, discriminatory and retaliatory conduct.” In a statement to CNN Business, Sonmez said that she believed “survivors of trauma, including sexual assault, deserve the full support of their newsrooms.”

“They should never have to fear that they will be punished, silenced or barred from doing their jobs because of what was done to them,” she added.