A former employee has taken legal action against a mortgage company, alleging severe workplace discrimination and wrongful termination. Priscilla Allen filed a complaint in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois on November 26, 2024, accusing Dovenmuehle Mortgage, Inc. of violating her rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA).
The lawsuit claims that Dovenmuehle Mortgage discriminated against Allen due to her disability, failed to provide reasonable accommodations, harassed her based on her disability, and retaliated against her for exercising her rights under federal law. Allen was employed by Dovenmuehle as a team lead starting January 24, 2020. She suffers from atrial fibrillation, a condition affecting heart rhythm that can cause seizures and palpitations. Despite this condition, she was able to perform her job duties effectively.
Allen took FMLA leave on January 31, 2023, due to her health condition and requested accommodations such as more frequent breaks. However, she alleges that upon notifying the company of her need for FMLA leave, Dovenmuehle attempted to terminate her employment but retracted after realizing it was improper. Later in June 2024, while still on leave, Allen's cardiologist provided medical documentation supporting her need for accommodations.
Despite these efforts, Allen claims she received unwarranted write-ups for alleged infractions during April and May of that year. In July 2024, when she requested more frequent breaks as an accommodation for her heart condition, Dovenmuehle allegedly required her to clock out for each break instead of granting them as part of reasonable accommodation. This denial led to further disputes with human resources.
Allen asserts that after raising concerns about discrimination and expressing intent to contact the Department of Labor in August 2024, she was terminated under the guise of company downsizing on August 29th. She argues this termination was a pretextual act of retaliation linked directly to her requests for ADA accommodations and FMLA leave.
In addition to seeking redress for discrimination under ADA provisions—such as failure to accommodate and harassment—Allen accuses Dovenmuehle of interfering with her FMLA rights by not properly acknowledging or facilitating them despite knowing about her medical condition.
The plaintiff seeks various forms of relief from the court including back pay with interest; front pay; compensatory damages; punitive damages; loss of benefits; attorneys’ fees; costs associated with litigation; pre-judgment interest if applicable; along with any other relief deemed just by the court.
Representing Priscilla Allen is attorney Chad W. Eisenback from Sulaiman Law Group Ltd., while no information about defense counsel is available in this document. The case has been assigned Case ID: 1:24-cv-12205 but details regarding judges involved remain unspecified at this stage.