Ex-employee says Truist Bank's Chucky doll prank gave her PTSD, ruined her career: lawsuit
A former Truist Bank worker said a prank at her ex-employer involving a life-sized Chuck doll has left her with post-traumatic stress disorder and turned her life into a real-world horror movie.
Debra Jones is suing the company for discrimination after her boss allegedly placed the creepy red-headed doll – which comes to life and kills people in the movie 'Child's Play' – in her office chair at a North Carolina branch last year.
3 The killer 'Chucky' doll from Child's Play 3.
©Universal/Courtesy Everett Collection
The doll was meant to be a harmless prank during her training, but for Jones, it was no laughing matter, the lawsuit filed in Nash County contends.
The employee had a crippling fear of dolls, plus major depressive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and the autoimmune disorder vitiligo, according to the suit she filed in May.
In fact, she said her boss had known about her phobia and other conditions, which inspired the prank in the first place.
Her brush with 'the doll that kills people,' as it is referred to in the lawsuit, ruined her career, she said.
Jones developed PTSD and took eight weeks of medical leave, according to the suit. Even when she came back, she left work early three times a week for treatments for her autoimmune disorder, which she said had been triggered by her run-in with Chucky.
She said her condition — which affects the pigmentation of the skin — made her the butt of jokes around the office, and leaving work early landed her on her managers' bad side.
3 Debra Jones was fired by Truist Bank and is now suing for discrimination.
Bloomberg via Getty Images
3 Alex Vincent holding Chucky the doll in Child's Play 2.
©Universal/Courtesy Everett Collection
The company finally gave her the ax in March, claiming she 'cannot keep using her anxiety and emotional problems as an excuse' for bad performance, the lawsuit states.
Jones is suing Trust Bank for emotional distress and discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The lawsuit does not name a dollar amount sought for the damages.
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