Dr. Shekarpour's Retaliation Claims Against John Hancock Life Insurance

A legal case involving John Hancock Life Insurance Company has emerged, with Dr. Saeedeh D. Shekarpour alleging retaliation and discrimination based on her national origin. Filed in a Massachusetts federal court in June 2026, the lawsuit contends that Dr. Shekarpour's stellar performance evaluations conflicted sharply with her termination.

Dr. Shekarpour, an Iranian-American data scientist with a Ph.D., received commendations from her manager, an Assistant Vice President (AVP) in Advanced Analytics, praising her as "an invaluable asset" during her 2024 performance review. Her aspirations for leadership roles within technical domains were also noted. Between February and June 2025, she earned five formal recognitions, including one in June for enhancing team dynamics. This recognition followed her expression of concerns regarding potential unequal treatment at the company.

The complaint highlights a pivotal change when Dr. Shekarpour was placed on a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) just weeks after her recognized contributions. The plan cited previously undocumented issues such as SQL skills and data proficiency. The complaint argues these claims were baseless, as no prior evaluations mentioned any performance deficiencies over her two-year tenure.

Dr. Shekarpour was terminated on September 4, 2025, without specific performance-related reasons other than the decision to end her at-will employment. The lawsuit suggests this action was retaliatory, linked to complaints she filed earlier in June 2025, which she claims are protected under Title VII. The complaint alleges inconsistent standards were applied compared to her colleagues of different national origins.

After termination, Dr. Shekarpour reached out to senior leadership and the director of employee relations but claims the response lacked a thorough investigation. Representing herself, she seeks various compensatory remedies, such as back pay, front pay, lost benefits, and punitive damages. She also filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, receiving a Notice of Rights in April 2026.

As of now, John Hancock has not responded to the lawsuit, and the court has yet to make a decision. The allegations remain unverified by the court.