Robert Rickmon has filed a lawsuit against the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity in the United States District Court, Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division. The case ID is 1:24-cv-03036 and it was filed on April 15, 2024.
Rickmon, represented by attorney Lisa M. Stauff, alleges that he was forced to retire from his position at the Department due to disability discrimination. He claims that despite positive evaluations and fulfilling his job duties satisfactorily, he was refused re-entry to his position after taking medical leave for an ongoing health condition in March 2022.
The plaintiff further alleges that upon attempting to return to work on June 14, 2022, he was put on paid leave instead of being reinstated. He also states that he was threatened with termination if he did not retire, leading him to file retirement paperwork on January 5, 2023.
Rickmon is seeking a judgment in his favor including a settlement conference pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 16, orders requiring the defendant to post notices about its duty not to discriminate based on disability and accommodate his disability as proposed by physicians. He is also seeking backpay, employment benefits and other compensation lost due to alleged discrimination.