Dave Ramsey Company Facing Federal Suit

A new lawsuit has been filed in federal court after a lesbian employee at Ramsey Solutions felt forced to resign from her position due to the company "not recognizing homosexuality."

The Tennessean reports former employee Julie Anne Stamps, who lives in Rutherford County, came out as a lesbian while working in the customer care department, according to the complaint filed Sept. 29 in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee. When she was hired, Stamps was married to a man and presented as straight.

But last spring, the lawsuit says Stamps came to terms with her sexuality, which she had questioned since middle school. She and her husband divorced in May 2020. 

Julie Ann Stamps

Stamps was encouraged to speak with her supervisor and confide in her during this time, the lawsuit says. She eventually opened up to her supervisor about the root of her divorce and shared her sexuality. The supervisor encouraged Stamps to see a Christian counselor who "saved" another person from homosexuality, the suit says.

Stamps later asked her supervisor about coming out to her coworkers and asked what would happen to her employment, according to the lawsuit. Stamps claims that her supervisor informed her that she wouldn't be permitted to bring a woman partner to any company outings, nor could she share her sexuality on social media. Ramsey Solutions, owned by financial titan Dave Ramsey, is known for a culture of conservative Christian beliefs.

When Stamps said that she'd be sharing her sexuality anyway, her supervisor told her she'd have to choose whether to stay with the company or not, the suit alleges.

She planned for her last day to be June 19, 2020, but after the U.S. Supreme Court issued an opinion in the Bostock v. Clayton County case on June 15 ruling that discrimination based on homosexuality was a violation of Title VII, Stamps was terminated on June 17, according to the lawsuit. During her exit interview, she was told that Ramsey didn't agree "with that lifestyle," the suit alleges.  

"As Ms. Stamps knows, she left Ramsey Solutions voluntarily and on good terms to pursue another career opportunity," a Ramsey Solutions spokesperson said in a statement to The Tennessean. "Months later, Ms. Stamps changed the story to falsely accuse her former supervisor and friend of discrimination. While we are saddened by Ms. Stamps’ sudden reversal, we look forward to defending the company and her supervisor."