Man with Parkinson’s disease allegedly terminated because he required doctor visits.

David ManesLawsuits & Press Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Employee Files Lawsuit against Towsley’s, Inc., for Disability Discrimination           

Nelson suffers from Parkinson’s disease, sciatica pain, scoliosis, and osteopenia on a daily basis. These conditions often hinder major life activities but only sometimes impact his work. Due to his conditions, Nelson visits the doctor often but always tries to schedule his appointments outside of his work hours.

While working at Towsley’s as a retail store manager, Nelson’s supervisor offered a reasonable accommodation for times when Nelson had a doctor’s appointment during work. His supervisor told him to place a sign on the door, informing customers to contact another employee. This reasonable accommodation worked well for over 10 years.

The supervisor allegedly said that Nelson’s termination was because “the store was closed too often due to his doctors’ appointments.”In 2016, Nelson’s supervisor told him that he was to be terminated, effective a month and a half later. The supervisor allegedly said that Nelson’s termination was because “the store was closed too often due to his doctors’ appointments.” This quote seems like clear evidence that Nelson’s disability prompted his termination. Moreover, two part-time employees took over Nelson’s position, while Nelson claims that his supervisor never offered him the option to become part time. Switching to part time would have allowed Nelson to schedule more doctor’s appointments outside of work and could have solved the issue that resulted in his termination.

Hands clasped in lapIn his final month at Towsley’s, Nelson did become responsible for the training of the part-time employees despite being told that he would not train them. He still lost his job. KM&A fights against disability discrimination that Nelson experienced when Towsley’s terminated him because he needed reasonable accommodation. Naturally, Towsley’s denies all such claims.

Full text of this complaint, as filed with the District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, is available at docket no: 1:17-cv-01234-YK

Kraemer, Manes & Associates LLC is an employment law firm with principal offices in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, serving all counties in Pennsylvania, focusing on employment law, business law, litigation, and civil issues. KM&A clients include employees, small businesses, parties in litigation, and people with a variety of legal issues.

For more information about this case, contact Attorney Colin Saltry at 215-475-3544 or at cs@lawkm.com.

NOTICE: All information contained in this statement comes from the Complaint which has been filed as a public record with the court. As dedicated civil rights attorneys, we strongly believe in the public value of telling our clients’ stories: violators can be held accountable, and other silent victims can feel empowered to stand up for their legal rights. Although we make every attempt to verify our clients’ claims, note that the defendant is expected to oppose our client’s position, and the court has not ruled one way or the other as of the date of this statement.