WAYNE — A woman is suing Sogefi USA Inc. alleging it violated the West Virginia Human Rights Act.
Loretta Robertson was employed by Sogefi and she suffer from joint pain, foot pain, headaches, rashes and high blood pressure and was diagnosed with lupus, according to a complaint filed in Wayne Circuit Court.
Robertson claims on Dec. 19, 2019, she requested accommodation at work due to her symptoms because her physician recommended that she sit for one hour and stand for one hour. The accommodation was approved.
In July 2020, her physician recommended she be able to sit one hour and stand for two hours and the accommodation was approved, however, management employees made it obvious that they were annoyed by her disability and accommodations, according to the suit.
Robertson claims in the spring of 2021, Danny Samples in Human Resources called in all employees with health issues and informed them they would be fired if they did not sign a document saying that they were making progress with their health conditions and he demanded that she get notes from her physicians requesting fewer accommodations.
The plaintiff worked on a factory floor and after several months, she was assigned to a different line that did not have accommodations for her, according to the suit.
Robertson claims the defendant then told her it would not accommodate her and terminated her employment on May 19, 2021.
The defendant violated the West Virginia Human Rights Act for disability discrimination, according to the suit. She claims the defendant also violated substantial public policy.
Robertson is seeking compensatory and punitive damages with pre- and post-judgment interest. She is represented by Kristina Thomas Whiteaker of The Grubb Law Group in Charleston.
Wayne Circuit Court case number: 21-C-59
