On August 25, 2023 a federal jury in Rockford returned a verdict in our client’s favor under the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA). It found that a Rockford, Illinois-based company violated the FMLA by firing an employee who took approved medical leave.
Attorneys Thalia Pacheco and David Fish and Paralegal Leslie Rodriguez tried the case in Rockford federal court for our client.
The FMLA allows an employee who suffers from a serious medical condition to take up to 90 days off per year.
The plaintiff, a Rockford resident was approved to take up to two FMLA days off per month for a back injury. The jury found the Rockford employer fired our client at least in part in retaliation for exercising his right to take this FMLA leave.
The jury awarded our client 100% of the lost wages he had requested which represented his lost income until he found a new permanent job. The jury found against our client on his claim for Retaliatory Discharge and did not award damages for that claim.