A retired teacher has filed a lawsuit against her former school district, alleging gross negligence and misconduct that led to the denial of her full pension benefits. The complaint was filed by Lisa Reitman in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois on August 23, 2024, targeting Evanston/Skokie School District 65 and several individual defendants.
Lisa Reitman, who served as a teacher for 34 years, sought early retirement at the end of the 2022-23 school year to care for her terminally ill husband. During this challenging period, she claims that District 65 and various officials failed to properly calculate her unused sick days, which were crucial for securing a full, non-reduced pension. Despite multiple requests for confirmation of her accumulated sick days, Reitman alleges that district employees ignored her inquiries and instead focused on trivial matters like attending a retirement luncheon. After her husband's death in May 2023, Reitman discovered that due to miscalculations by the district, she was eight days short of qualifying for a full pension.
Reitman's complaint details numerous instances where she sought clarity from district officials about her sick day balance but received inadequate or misleading responses. For example, during a Zoom meeting meant to address these issues, one defendant allegedly acted dismissively by twirling her hair and treating Reitman as if she were an unreasonable complainer. The lawsuit also highlights how the district's failure to promptly correct their errors left Reitman without income during a financially precarious time following her husband's death.
The plaintiff is seeking compensatory damages for economic losses and emotional distress caused by the defendants' actions. She also requests non-pecuniary damages, pre-and post-judgment interest, declaratory relief, punitive damages where applicable, and attorney’s fees and costs. The lawsuit includes claims under the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), procedural and substantive due process violations under the Fourteenth Amendment, breach of contract related to retirement benefits administration, promissory estoppel based on unfulfilled promises regarding sick days, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
Representing Lisa Reitman is attorney James C. Vlahakis from Vlahakis Law Group LLC. The case has been assigned Case No. 1:24-cv-07648 in front of Judge [Judge's Name].