HUNTINGTON – A Cabell County man says he was fired after filing a Workers Compensation claim for work-related injuries.
Tyrone Henry Reed filed a lawsuit March 17 in Cabell Circuit Court against Darden Restaurants Inc., doing business as Olive Garden, alleging violations of federal and state worker safety laws and regulations, as well as the West Virginia Human Rights Act.
According to the complaint, during Reed’s employment with Olive Garden as a line cook, he and others complained about a cracked, slippery floor in the restaurant’s kitchen. The suit says Darden took no corrective action, and that Reed fell and suffered injuries from the slippery conditions that were directly in his work area. Once Reed filed a Workers Compensation claim, the suit says he was terminated by Olive Garden, in retaliation for the claim and also allegedly because of his race.
Reed seeks a jury trial and punitive and compensatory damages in an amount to be determined at trial. He is represented by attorney D. Adrian Hoosier II of Lord Hoosier PLLC in Charleston.
Judge Christopher D. Chiles is assigned to the case.
Cabell Circuit Court Case number 16-C-208
