A former sales manager has filed a lawsuit against a major office supply retailer, alleging discrimination and retaliation based on his disability. Terrell Anderson filed the complaint in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois on August 26, 2024, against Office Superstore East, LLC, doing business as Staples.
According to the complaint, Anderson was hired by Staples as a Sales Manager on May 9, 2023. He suffers from lower limb lymphedema, which causes frequent swelling in his legs and requires him to sit periodically. Initially, Anderson's informal requests to sit intermittently were accommodated without issue. However, in September 2023, Human Resources directed him to formalize his request through the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). On September 10th, Anderson submitted a formal request to sit for 15 minutes every two hours as needed. Despite this reasonable accommodation request, Staples informed him that they could not facilitate it while they reviewed his case.
On October 16, 2023, Staples denied Anderson's request for accommodations as unreasonable. Anderson observed other managers without disabilities sitting for extended periods without facing any disciplinary action. Due to the denial of his accommodation request, Anderson was forced to take leave and was given until November 15, 2023, to find another position within the company that aligned with his ADA accommodation needs or face termination.
Anderson alleges that after making his formal ADA request, Staples retaliated by removing his informal accommodations and suspending him before ultimately terminating his employment on December 7, 2023. He contends that he met or exceeded performance expectations throughout his tenure and that his termination was based solely on his disability and engagement in protected activity under the ADA.
The lawsuit accuses Staples of violating multiple provisions of the ADA: disability-based discrimination by treating him less favorably than non-disabled employees; failure to accommodate by not engaging in an interactive process to determine appropriate accommodations; and retaliation for requesting accommodations. The plaintiff is seeking 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 Terrell Anderson is attorney Travis P. Lampert from Sulaiman Law Group Ltd., while the case will be presided over by judges from the Northern District of Illinois under Case ID: 1:24-cv-07659.