KANSAS CITY — A woman alleges in a lawsuit that she was fired from a Kansas City recycling company after a breakup with the owner whom she also accused of circulating sexual images of her without her permission.

The 59-year-old woman claims gender discrimination and retaliation in the suit, which was moved to federal court last month, The Kansas City Star reports.

The suit says the woman had been working as an assistant to Langley Recycling owner John Langley for about a month in 2013 when the two began a relationship. It says the woman then grew concerned about the safety of her job after Langley told her that he had engaged in relationships with at least two of his former assistant before ending those relationships and firing them.

Her attorneys say he threatened to fire her after arguments and then terminated her employment once their relationship was "broken."

Her attorneys also allege that he sent private sexual images of the woman to another man without her consent in October 2018 and also posted at least one sexual image of her on the internet.

Langley's attorneys with Fisher & Phillips LLP said in an email that it is their practice not to comment on pending litigation but would "vigorously defend the allegations."