Kelly Cardenas, a former employee of the South Suburban Humane Society, has filed a lawsuit alleging discrimination based on age and disability. The complaint was lodged in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois on February 26, 2025. Cardenas accuses her former employer of violating several laws, including the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA), and the Illinois Human Rights Act (IHRA).
Cardenas, who worked as a Pharmacy Technician/Veterinary Assistant since June 2015, claims she faced persistent discrimination due to her anxiety and mental impairments. Despite informing her employer about her condition two years prior to her termination, she alleges that her requests for accommodation were ignored. She also contends that after Isabelle, a new Practice Manager under 30 years old, took over, she was subjected to ridicule and trivialization of her disability symptoms. According to Cardenas, Isabelle would dismissively comment on her panic attacks with remarks like "Having another one? How convenient." Furthermore, Cardenas alleges that she was unfairly written up for incidents occurring on days she was not working and faced reduced work hours in favor of younger employees.
The plaintiff's situation escalated when she reported feeling targeted by Isabelle to higher management but received no support or investigation into her claims. On December 17, 2024, Cardenas was terminated from her position. She believes this action was a direct result of age and disability discrimination as well as retaliation for engaging in protected activities under ADA and ADEA.
In seeking justice through the court system, Kelly Cardenas is requesting various forms of relief. These include back pay with interest, front pay, compensatory and punitive damages for emotional distress and loss of employment benefits, as well as coverage for reasonable attorney fees and costs incurred during litigation.
Representing Kelly Cardenas is attorney Chad W. Eisenback from Sulaiman Law Group Ltd., based in Lombard, Illinois. The case is identified under Case ID: 1:25-cv-02021.