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COOK COUNTY RECORD

Saturday, November 9, 2024

Former Employee Alleges Disability Discrimination Against Major Retailer

Federal Court
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A former employee has filed a lawsuit against a major retail corporation, alleging discrimination and retaliation under federal disability and family leave laws. Patrice Oliver filed the complaint in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois on August 27, 2024, accusing Home Depot U.S.A., Inc. of wrongful termination.

According to the court documents, Oliver claims that Home Depot discriminated against her based on her disabilities—depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)—and retaliated against her for taking medical leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). Oliver was employed as an Area Supervisor by Home Depot from March 2019 until her termination on July 5, 2024. Her duties included overseeing a team of 30 people, tracking attendance, managing safety reports, and ensuring teams met key performance indicators.

Oliver alleges that after returning from an eight-week medical leave on May 31, 2024, she faced immediate retaliation. She had taken this leave due to her depression and PTSD. Shortly after resuming work, Oliver reported an incident involving a subordinate who appeared intoxicated during his shift. Despite following company protocol by reporting her suspicions to other team leads and eventually escalating the matter to Operations Manager Joel Geller—who confirmed the employee's intoxication—Oliver found herself under investigation.

The complaint details how Oliver was repeatedly questioned about the incident without being informed of any ongoing investigation. On July 2, 2024, she reached out to Raphael Lopez and HR Representative April Floyd to understand why she was being scrutinized despite adhering to company policy. Three days later, Lopez terminated her employment for allegedly failing to report the employee's behavior initially—a claim Oliver disputes.

Oliver asserts that her termination was not only unjustified but also retaliatory, occurring shortly after she returned from medical leave. She contends that Home Depot's actions violated both the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and FMLA by discriminating against her due to her disability and retaliating against her for exercising her rights under these laws.

In addition to seeking redress for wrongful termination, Oliver is asking for back pay with interest, front pay, loss of benefits, compensatory and punitive damages, reasonable attorneys' fees and costs, pre-judgment interest if applicable, and any other relief deemed just by the court.

Representing Patrice Oliver is attorney Nathan C. Volheim from Sulaiman Law Group Ltd., while Raphael Lopez is named as one of the key figures involved in the alleged retaliatory actions at Home Depot. The case is presided over by Judge Amrith Kaur Aakre under Case ID: 1:24-cv-07737.

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