CHARLESTON – A Kanawha County woman says the medical practice where she worked for over five years fired her when she requested an extra week off to recuperate from breast cancer surgery.
Melissa L. Moreland filed a lawsuit March 8 in Kanawha Circuit Court against Bali Surgical Practice PLLC and Dr. Ahmad Bali, alleging wrongful discharge and discrimination based on disability.
According to the complaint, Moreland served as the defendant’s office manager until undergoing a double mastectomy on Oct. 15, 2015. Originally scheduled to be off for two weeks, Moreland says she was terminated when she required an additional week off due to surgical complications. The suit says Bali’s actions violate the discrimination clause in the state’s Human Rights Act.
Moreland seeks a jury trial and punitive and compensatory damages, plus interest and litigation costs. She is represented by attorney Richard W. Walters of Shaffer & Shaffer PLLC in Charleston. Judge Charles E. King is assigned to the case.
Kanawha Circuit Court Case number 16-C-339
