Former Chili's Manager Sues, Claims Firing Targeted Transgender Identity

Hudson Webber walked into the Chili's in Rosemont, Illinois on April 17, 2025, as a newly hired assistant manager collecting glowing performance reviews. Twenty-five days later, a manager called to say he was out, citing his "personal values and lifestyle values." A federal lawsuit now alleges the real reason was that management had learned Webber is transgender.

The complaint, filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, states that "the decision to terminate Plaintiff was made only after management became aware of Plaintiff's gender identity and expression." The termination, the suit argues, "had nothing to do with job performance" and was "instead based on discriminatory views" about Webber's sex and gender identity.

The complaint details one particularly pointed episode before the May 12, 2025 termination call. Webber was told not to report for a shift because a pipe rupture had forced the restaurant to close. The story was fabricated, his lawyers alleged: the restaurant stayed open and staffed. "In reality, Plaintiff was intentionally being excluded from work because management did not want Plaintiff present," the complaint states.

When the termination call came on May 12, the manager explicitly referenced Webber's sex and gender identity, according to the complaint. At the time of hiring, the complaint notes, no one had asked Webber about his gender identity, and Webber had not raised it.

The alleged discrimination did not stop with one employee. The complaint claims Webber was told that another employee at a different location would be contacted and terminated for the same reasons, which his lawyers characterize as evidence of "a pattern of discriminatory decision-making based on protected characteristics."

Webber is seeking back pay and front pay with interest, compensatory and punitive damages, and attorneys' fees and court costs. He also cites loss of income, emotional distress, humiliation, and degradation as harms suffered. An initial status hearing is set for May 4.

Chili's has not issued a public response to the complaint, and no statement from the company or the Rosemont location appeared in available materials.

Employment attorneys and advocates say the Webber case reflects a broader pattern. Greg Nevins of Lambda Legal's Employment Fairness Project said that "people have always been willing to be more discriminatory towards transgender workers." Ash Lazarus Orr of Advocates for Trans Equality, commenting on transgender workplace discrimination generally rather than the Webber case specifically, said that "the dismissal of trans employees has consequences beyond the individual" and "it can perpetuate a culture of discrimination and exclusion that discourages talented trans people from pursuing fulfilling careers."

The case lands at a moment of heightened scrutiny over workplace protections for transgender employees. Whether the Rosemont Chili's or its corporate structure bears liability will likely be among the first questions the court addresses when the case moves forward.