A former employee has taken legal action against a major company, alleging discrimination and retaliation based on his disability. Hashsham Noor filed a complaint in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois on October 16, 2024, accusing R. R. Donnelley & Sons Company of violating both the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA).
The lawsuit claims that Noor, who suffers from anxiety disorder and Major Depressive Disorder, faced discrimination at work due to his disabilities. Employed as a Senior SAP Basis Administrator since February 2017, Noor alleges that his supervisor, Erfan Memon, subjected him to heightened scrutiny and harassment because of his condition. The complaint details how Memon allegedly misappropriated Noor's work and presented it as his own to upper management, creating a hostile work environment. "This dishonest appropriation of Plaintiff's work deprived Plaintiff of recognition for his contributions," the complaint states.
Noor asserts that after he requested accommodations due to his mental health conditions, he was met with resistance from the company's Human Resources department. Instead of engaging in an interactive process to accommodate Noor's request not to work under Memon due to its impact on his mental health, HR reportedly told him he would have to "deal with it." Following this refusal, Noor experienced a flare-up of his conditions and took FMLA leave starting October 14, 2022.
Upon returning from leave in February 2023, Noor found himself targeted again by Memon through fabricated performance issues designed to exacerbate his disabilities. This culminated in Noor's termination on March 17, 2023, which he claims was under false pretenses related to poor performance but was actually due to disability discrimination and retaliation for taking FMLA leave.
In addition to seeking back pay with interest and front pay for lost wages and benefits, Noor is asking for compensatory and punitive damages along with reasonable attorney fees. He argues that R. R. Donnelley & Sons Company acted willfully in violating federal laws designed to protect employees like him from discrimination based on disability.
Representing Noor is Mohammed O. Badwan from Sulaiman Law Group Ltd., while the case has been filed under Case ID: 1:24-cv-10533.