In a gripping legal battle that underscores the challenges faced by employees with disabilities and those belonging to sexual minorities, a former employee has taken on one of the world's largest e-commerce giants. Gayle Curran filed a lawsuit against Amazon.com Services, LLC in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois on February 25, 2025. The complaint alleges multiple violations of federal laws, including discrimination based on disability and sexual orientation, as well as retaliation for engaging in protected activities.
The case centers around allegations that Amazon failed to accommodate Curran's disability, discriminated against her due to her sexual orientation, and retaliated against her when she sought to assert her rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. Curran worked as a customer resolution specialist from July 2017 until her termination in September 2024. During her tenure, she claims she was subjected to discriminatory treatment by her manager, Sue Connerty, who allegedly harbored animus towards Curran's identity as a disabled lesbian.
Curran's complaint details a series of incidents where she was denied reasonable accommodations for her spinal condition—a three-level spinal fusion—and faced undue scrutiny and harassment at work. Despite having medical documentation supporting her need for accommodations such as extra breaks and adjusted work hours due to parking issues related to her disability, these requests were either denied or met with hostility. Moreover, Curran alleges that after Connerty discovered her sexual orientation through a coworker, she experienced increased exclusion from work events and was unjustly penalized compared to non-disabled and non-lesbian colleagues.
The lawsuit also highlights instances where Curran's attempts to address workplace issues were met with retaliation rather than support. After reporting discriminatory behavior and requesting accommodations through Amazon's internal channels, she was placed on a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP), which she contends was unjustified given system-related issues affecting her performance metrics. This PIP ultimately led to what Curran describes as an unlawful termination under the guise of "stealing company time."
Curran is seeking several forms of relief from the court: back pay with interest, front pay, compensatory and punitive damages for emotional distress and loss of employment benefits, as well as attorneys' fees. She argues that Amazon acted willfully in violating both the ADA and Title VII by failing to provide necessary accommodations and retaliating against her for asserting her rights.
Representing Gayle Curran is attorney Peyton M. Paschke from Sulaiman Law Group Ltd., while no specific attorneys are listed for Amazon.com Services LLC in this document. The case has been assigned Case ID 1:25-cv-01955.