A former employee has filed a lawsuit against her previous employer, alleging discrimination and retaliation based on her disability. Patricia Gorski lodged the complaint in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois on December 16, 2024, accusing Great Lakes Credit Union of violating multiple federal and state laws.
Patricia Gorski began working with Great Lakes Credit Union in September 2021 as a Senior Accountant. Despite her exemplary performance and contributions to the company, including recovering over $500,000 in outstanding payments, she claims she was subjected to discrimination after disclosing her disabilities. Diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome in July 2023, Gorski had long suspected she had autism spectrum disorder (ASD) due to past medical consultations. Her disclosure of this condition led to adverse actions from her supervisors at Great Lakes Credit Union. According to Gorski, shortly after revealing her condition, she faced unwarranted restrictions such as fixed lunch breaks and "core hours" that were not imposed on other non-disabled employees. She was also issued a performance improvement plan (PIP) that criticized her communication skills—skills directly impacted by ASD—without providing examples or constructive feedback.
Gorski's lawsuit accuses Great Lakes Credit Union of failing to provide reasonable accommodations for her disabilities despite repeated requests. These accommodations included reviewing certain emails before sending them out and allowing flexibility in arrival times due to insomnia and sleep apnea complications. Instead of accommodating these needs, Gorski alleges that the company increased her workload and created an intolerable work environment leading up to her termination in March 2023.
The lawsuit further claims violations under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA). Gorski contends that Great Lakes Credit Union fired her to prevent access to short-term disability benefits under ERISA and interfered with her rights under FMLA by terminating her employment before she could formalize leave requests.
Gorski seeks compensation for lost wages, benefits, emotional distress damages, punitive damages for willful violations of the law, reinstatement or future lost earnings if reinstatement is not feasible, attorneys' fees, costs, and any other relief deemed appropriate by the court.
Representing Patricia Gorski are attorneys Erika Pedersen and Jill Weinstein from Pedersen & Weinstein LLP. The case is filed under Case ID: 1:24-cv-12905 but does not yet list specific judges overseeing it.