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COOK COUNTY RECORD

Thursday, November 7, 2024

Former Employee Sues State Regulatory Agency for Disability Discrimination

Federal Court
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A former employee is suing a state regulatory agency for alleged discrimination, failure to accommodate, and retaliation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Bryan Tiller filed the complaint against the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois on June 28, 2024.

The lawsuit claims that Tiller faced discrimination due to his disability, which affects his memory, time management, focus, concentration, and coordination. Hired as a supervisor of title insurance on May 5, 2018, Tiller was terminated on February 15, 2023. He asserts that despite notifying his employer about his disability in January 2022 and requesting reasonable accommodations in January 2023, no efforts were made by the department to engage in an interactive process or provide any accommodations. Instead, he was terminated shortly after submitting his accommodation request form.

Tiller's complaint outlines several key events leading up to his termination. In January 2022, he informed the Director and other management personnel via email about his disability and need for accommodations but received no response beyond a hope that he felt better. On January 24, 2023, Tiller formally submitted a "State of Illinois Reasonable Accommodation Request for Employees" form detailing his condition and the necessary accommodations. Despite this formal request and an assurance from Tiller that further documentation from his physician would follow, he was terminated just two weeks later without any engagement from the department regarding possible accommodations.

The plaintiff alleges that the reasons given for his termination were pretextual and rooted in discrimination based on his disability or perceived disability. He contends that this conduct violates multiple provisions of the ADA. The complaint also highlights that Tiller had consistently met or exceeded performance expectations during his tenure and was treated less favorably than similarly situated employees who did not have disabilities.

Tiller is seeking various forms of relief from the court including back pay with interest, front pay, compensatory and punitive damages, loss of benefits, attorneys' fees and costs, pre-judgment interest if applicable, and any other relief deemed just by the court.

Representing Tiller is attorney Travis P. Lampert from Sulaiman Law Group Ltd., while details about the defendant's legal representation are not provided in this document. The case has been assigned Case ID: 1:24-cv-05472.

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