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NY employer refused to accommodate woman who donated a kidney

| Jul 3, 2013 | Workplace Discrimination |

Imagine putting your own health on the line for your boss. Would you even do it? Many people wouldn’t, but one New York woman felt compelled to help her boss, who was in need of a kidney transplant. If the woman donated a kidney to someone else, her boss would move closer to the top of the transplant list. The woman selflessly chose to help, but returned to work to face everything but gratitude.

After the removal of her kidney, the woman experienced some complications that limited the type of work she could perform. She made two small requests of her employer: that she be able to use the bathroom whenever she needed to without asking permission, and that she not have to lift stacks of paper heavier than 10 pounds. Her employer refused to allow either.

In addition to refusing to agree to her minor requests, the woman says her boss grew hostile toward her after the surgery, frequently criticizing her work. Eventually, the woman was fired. Although the company’s attorney says the allegations are untrue and the woman was fired for being unproductive and disruptive, the woman believes her request for accommodations after the surgery triggered her termination.

Now, as any wrongfully terminated New York employee could do, the woman is suing her former employer for discrimination and violating the Americans with Disability Act. No one deserves to be discriminated against in their workplace for any reason. Fortunately, there are ways to hold negligent employers accountable for their unlawful actions.

Source: New York Daily News, “Long Island woman fired after donating kidney sues for discrimination,” John Marzulli, June 27, 2013