Newly obtained email correspondence provides additional details about allegations raised by Sandra Parra in her wrongful termination lawsuit against USC. The emails contend that the former social work advisor was treated unprofessionally and moved suddenly to a glass office in a building containing asbestos-containing materials, according to 2022 exchanges between Parra and other university employees.
The 12-page thread of emails, provided anonymously to Annenberg Media, also appear in the official court complaint. USC denied the claims in a statement to Annenberg Media.
“USC takes allegations of discrimination and harassment seriously. We believe the claims are without merit and we look forward to defending the university in court.”
Parra was terminated in August 2025 — during a period of unprecedented university-wide layoffs — after more than 28 years at the Dworak-Peck School of Social Work. She raised claims of disability and age discrimination, retaliation, harassment and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
Following the death of her son in 2021, Parra suffered severe emotional distress and asked to work from home, according to her lawsuit.
Email threads between Parra and John Clapp, the School of Social Work’s former executive vice dean, allege that Parra was treated unprofessionally by Kim Price, the School of Social Work’s associate dean for finance and administration. According to Parra, Price did not acknowledge Parra’s request to work from home.
“I don’t know when I can physically be back at work; I ask that the school pay attention and not ask [my colleague] about my schedule or whereabouts when HR and Kim Price have my doctor’s note,” Parra wrote in her email correspondence with Clapp, who suggested Parra consult USC HR resources about her situation.
Parra also wrote that Price became irresponsive over issues related to her corporate credit card and moved Parra to another office without notifying her.
Annenberg Media reached out to Clapp, who did not respond, and Price, who declined to comment. Although the court complaint did not name Clapp directly, it cited Parra’s concerns with Price and referenced the date on which Parra sent the emails.
“Price entered Plaintiff’s private, non-glass office, then occupied by one of Plaintiff’s direct reports and ordered the employee to vacate the space within 24 hours, and openly discussed the ‘Sandra Parra situation’ in front of a second employee,” the lawsuit states. “Neither Plaintiff nor her supervisor had been informed that Dean Price intended to relocate Plaintiff.”
A separate 2022 email exchange between USC Environmental Health & Safety professionals documents concerns about asbestos-containing materials in the Montgomery Ross Fisher Building, where Parra’s office was relocated.
The Environmental Protection Agency states that exposure to asbestos can increase the risk of lung cancer and related diseases.
One of the emails, sent by former Industrial Hygiene Program lead Lawrence Bergenfeld, said USC’s Facilities Planning and Management department hired a certified asbestos consultant to ensure a flooring abatement process was performed safely in April 2022.
Bergenfeld did not respond to comment when asked to confirm whether these procedures were completed.
“Asbestos-containing material (ACM) is also present in MRF in roofing tar/felts, pipe insulation, acoustic ceiling material, and floor tile/mastic, but as long as it is not disturbed, there is no inherent danger or exposure. Additionally, Environmental Health and Safety has no records of ACM being used in the Social Work Center,” Bergenfeld wrote in the emails raising environmental health concerns.
The lawsuit did not mention Bergenfeld, but noted that Parra emailed Facilities coordinator James Kelly in October 2024 to request an asbestos inspection and repair of malfunctioning air conditioning in MRF. According to the complaint from 2024, “no professional assessment or remediation ever occurred.”
Parra’s suit faced a case management hearing on Aug. 20. The university said it did not have any additional comments on the status of the case or on the termination of individual employees. However, a university spokesperson acknowledged last year’s layoffs of over 1,000 employees. Parra’s lawyer, Douglas Weisband, also declined to comment after the hearing.
The complaint includes 13 causes of action. Weisband confirmed that the issues raised in the emails are included in the court complaint.
“Ms. Parra stands by her complaint,” Weisband wrote in a statement to Annenberg Media. “Because the case is ongoing, we are not commenting further on specific documents, communications or procedural matters at this time.”
Edited by Scott Hills and Katherine Contreras Hernandez.