In a striking legal battle, a former employee is taking his previous employer to court over allegations of unpaid wages and discriminatory practices. Frank R. Curkov filed a complaint against Border States Industries, Inc., and Aaron Hughes on March 1, 2025, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. The lawsuit accuses the defendants of failing to pay earned wages, retaliatory discharge, and discrimination based on age and gender.
Curkov's legal action stems from his claims that Border States Industries (BSI) did not fully compensate him for commissions he earned during his tenure with the company. According to the complaint, Curkov was employed by BSI as an outside salesperson since August 1999 and consistently met or exceeded sales expectations. However, after BSI merged with his initial employer in May 2022, Curkov alleges that discrepancies began to surface regarding his commission payments. He asserts that BSI deducted over $800,000 in alleged costs from his commissions without justification and failed to include additional earnings related to a significant project with Facebook.
The plaintiff further claims that these actions were part of a broader pattern of discrimination and retaliation orchestrated by BSI and its Area Director Aaron Hughes. Curkov alleges that he was subjected to disparate treatment compared to younger colleagues and female peers, including being held to unrealistic sales goals and facing unwarranted scrutiny. Despite raising concerns about this treatment internally, Curkov contends that no corrective action was taken.
Curkov's lawsuit also highlights incidents involving a younger female project manager named Cristina Camposano. He alleges that her inappropriate behavior towards him went unaddressed by BSI management while he faced disciplinary measures for unfounded accusations made by Camposano.
In addition to seeking compensation for unpaid wages under the Illinois Wage Payment and Collection Act (IWPCA), Curkov is pursuing claims under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA). He seeks back pay, reimbursement for lost benefits, reinstatement or front pay if reinstatement is not feasible, compensatory damages for emotional distress, punitive damages for willful misconduct by the defendants, attorney fees, costs incurred during litigation proceedings including expert witness fees – all totaling an amount yet determined but expectedly substantial given multiple counts filed against both individual defendant Aaron Hughes alongside corporate entity Border States Industries Inc.
Attorneys representing Frank R. Curkov are led by Timothy J. Coffey from The Coffey Law Office P.C., while presiding over this case identified as Case No: 1:25-cv-02182.