COEUR d'ALENE - A Post Falls woman who alleges she was fired from Red Robin without cause filed a federal civil lawsuit Tuesday against the restaurant chain.

Stacie Ward, 46, is seeking an unspecified amount of money for injuries and damages she claims she sustained as a result of her 2012 termination. Ward was employed as a lead bartender and certified trainer at Red Robin in Coeur d'Alene when, according to court documents, she allegedly raised questions about a manager's policy of not hiring persons of color.

Ward had worked with Red Robin for more than a decade before being fired. Court documents state she was at 10 different restaurants in Las Vegas and Washington state before being asked to help open the Coeur d'Alene restaurant in 2007.

In the summer of 2012, a black male applied for a busing position at Red Robin. Ward met with the man and, according to court documents, proceeded to ask her assistant manager, Alicia DiAgastino, to meet with him.

Instead of talking with the male, the lawsuit alleges that DiAgastino shook her head and said "something along the lines of 'We don't hire niggers in this store, that's why we fired Dana,'" before walking away.

Dana, who according to court documents was the "only person of color ever employed at the bar in the Coeur d'Alene store," was fired from the restaurant shortly after it opened for allegedly wearing headphones while working. Ward had recruited Dana from the company's Spokane Valley location to help her open the Riverstone location, the lawsuit states, and Ward questioned management when he was fired.

"During the discussion, Stacie disagreed with the allegation that Dana was wearing headphones while on duty, and at the time, wondered why management really fired him," the court document states.

Ward's reaction to DiAgastino's alleged comments about Dana and the prospective employee was one of "anger and amazement," according to court documents. She followed DiAgastino and reportedly pointed out that the policy was illegal and she thought the man would make a good employee.

In the following week, tension was reportedly high between Ward and the management team at Red Robin. The lawsuit claims Ward was harassed by managers, who allegedly made her reapply for her job and "logged multiple false notices that customers were complaining" about Ward.

In October of 2012, Ward was fired from Red Robin by then General Manager Reed Faucet and court documents allege that DiAgastino was present during the termination meeting. According to court documents, Ward lost her house, her health insurance and retirement savings when she lost her job.

Ward filed a complaint with the Idaho Human Rights Commission, which conducted an investigation into the allegations. The organization issued a "Right to Sue" letter on Feb. 26, 2015, stating they found probable cause to believe Red Robin had retaliated against Ward.

Kevin Caulfield, a spokesperson for Red Robin, told The Press that the company does not comment on pending litigation.

"Red Robin is an equal opportunity employer that prohibits discrimination in hiring and prohibits discriminatory behavior in the workplace," he added.

Douglas Pierce, the attorney representing Ward in the lawsuit, told The Press Tuesday that he took the case partially because the incident "feeds into a reputation North Idaho has worked very hard to get rid of" as an area not welcoming to people of color.

"It's horrible that some establishments still think of North Idahoans that way because it's not true," Pierce said. "Stacie is a great woman who did what was right and got fired for it."

Pierce added that he will ask for the case to be fast-tracked through federal court, which could see the case go to a jury trial in six months barring any settlement agreement made between the two parties.