CHARLESTON -- A Kanawha County man is suing over claims he was forced to break Department of Transportation regulations in his job as a freight driver.
Brian Brown filed a lawsuit May 16 in Kanawha Circuit Court against Central Transport LLC and Todd Ruthers, citing retaliatory discharge.
According to the complaint, Brown was hired as a driver for Central Transport on June 4, 2012. Brown says his supervisor, Ruthers, forced him to work in an unsafe environment, failed to do adequate maintenance on the tractor-trailers and scheduled him for more than the Department of Transportation's allowed 14-hour shifts.
Brown says he refused to break the regulations and returned to the terminal where he was fired Nov. 29, 2012. The defendants are accused of retaliatory discharge, employment discrimination and intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress.
Brown is seeking punitive damages and costs.
He is being represented in the case by attorney Kathy A. Brown of Kathy Brown Law PLLC. The case has been assigned to Circuit Judge Jennifer F. Bailey.
Kanawha Circuit Court Case No. 14-C-911
Driver claims company fired him after asking him to work illegally long shifts
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