Stephanie Captain has filed a lawsuit against DG Hotel Group LLC, operating as Hampton Inn & Suites Downers Grove Chicago, and SUN Development & Management Corporation. The complaint was submitted on January 31, 2025, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Captain accuses her former employers of violating multiple federal and state laws due to their alleged discriminatory practices based on her disability.
The plaintiff, Stephanie Captain, claims that during her tenure as Director of Operations/Assistant General Manager from August 2023 until November 15, 2024, she faced discrimination due to her language processing disability. According to the complaint, this disability causes stuttered or delayed speech, yet she was able to perform her job's essential functions with or without reasonable accommodations. The lawsuit alleges that Vincent Pellegrini, the General Manager at Hampton Inn & Suites Downers Grove Chicago, mocked her speech issues and failed to provide any remedial measures after she reported feeling uncomfortable in professional settings. This behavior is cited as a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Further compounding these issues was an incident on July 19, 2024, when Captain slipped and fell at work, sustaining injuries that required medical attention and led to work restrictions. Despite filing an incident report and seeking workers' compensation for her injuries—which included a concussion diagnosed on October 28—Captain claims she was pressured by Pellegrini for updates on her return date before being medically cleared. On November 11, she received a letter from Connie Payne of SUN Development stating she would be terminated if not back by November 15—a deadline contrary to medical advice.
Captain's termination occurred on November 15 after failing to meet this deadline. She argues this action constituted discrimination under the ADA and retaliation under both the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and Illinois Worker’s Compensation Act (IWCA). The defendants allegedly did not inform Captain of her FMLA rights despite knowing about her serious health condition requiring leave.
The lawsuit seeks various forms of relief including back pay with interest, compensatory damages for emotional distress and loss of employment benefits, punitive damages for willful violations of law, and attorney fees. Captain demands a jury trial to address these grievances.
Representing Stephanie Captain is attorney Peyton M. Paschke from Sulaiman Law Group Ltd., while no defense attorneys are named in the document. The case is identified as Case No.: 1:25-cv-01125.