A Long Island woman claims she was fired from her job at a West Islip car dealership after donating a kidney so that her ailing boss could move up the donor transplant list, the New York Post reported.
Debbie Stevens, 47, filed a legal complaint with the Human Rights Commission of New York alleging that her boss , 61, used her for a kidney donation and then fired her from the Atlantic Auto Group where they both worked, The New York Post reports.
"I feel very betrayed," Stevens told The Post. "This has been a very hurtful and horrible experience for me."
According to the Post report, the suit alleges that Stevens got to know Brucia, a controller for the company, while serving as a clerical worker in 2009. Stevens then left the job and moved to Florida. Upon returning to Long Island and learning of Brucia's illness, Stevens offered to donate her kidney to her former boss in 2011. Stevens said she was then hired back.
After a potential donor fell through, Brucia allegedly asked Stevens if she was serious about her offer. Stevens obliged, according to reports.
But Stevens turned out to not be a perfect match for Brucia, so doctors agreed to let Stevens donate her kidney to another individual so Brucia could move up on the donor registry list.
After going through with the donor surgery, Stevens claims she was pressured to return to work before she was fully recovered, according to The Post.
Stevens then claimed she was berated, demoted to a dealership far from her home, and eventually fired, according to the complaint.
Brucia's husband James told reporters from The Post Sunday that Stevens' claims are "far from the truth."
The Atlantic Automotive Group has not responded to media requests for comment.
