A former employee has filed a lawsuit against his previous employer, alleging discrimination and retaliation in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Sean Boban initiated the legal action on December 23, 2024, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division, accusing Veritiv Operating Company of discriminatory practices related to his disability.
The case revolves around Boban's employment as a truck driver for Veritiv Operating Company from July 18, 2022, until his termination on November 1, 2024. Boban claims he suffers from a back injury that limits his ability to lift heavy objects. Despite this impairment, he asserts that he was capable of performing his job duties with reasonable accommodation—a lifting restriction over twenty-five pounds—which was initially granted by the company in November 2022. However, Boban alleges that Veritiv failed to consistently honor this accommodation and eventually revoked it altogether in March 2024 without engaging in an interactive process to explore alternative accommodations.
Boban contends that after reporting disability-based discrimination and harassment to Veritiv's Human Resources department in June 2024 and filing a charge with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in September 2024, he faced further retaliation. He claims he was placed on involuntary unpaid leave and ultimately terminated under the pretext of exhausting his leave—a leave he argues was unjustly imposed by the company. The complaint highlights that other non-disabled employees did not face similar treatment.
In his lawsuit, Boban accuses Veritiv of violating several provisions of the ADA by discriminating against him based on his disability, failing to provide reasonable accommodations, and retaliating against him for asserting his rights under the ADA. He seeks various forms of relief from the court including back pay, front pay, compensatory and punitive damages, loss of benefits, attorneys' fees and costs, as well as any other relief deemed appropriate by the court.
Representing Sean Boban is attorney Nathan C. Volheim from Sulaiman Law Group Ltd., while no specific defense attorneys are mentioned in the filing. The case is identified under Case ID: 1:24-cv-13151.