CHARLESTON – A Kanawha County man is suing his former employer for allegedly firing him after he filed a workers' compensation claim.
Jesse E. King filed a lawsuit March 24 in Kanawha Circuit Court against Terraquip Construction Products Inc. and Barry Holsten, alleging violations of the West Virginia Workers Compensation Act and the Human Right Act.
According to the complaint, King had worked for Terraquip for 28 years until his termination July 17, 2015, some three months after sustaining a hernia at work. After a period of medical leave, the suit says, King was kept in the dark about essential information related to his job duties after his return to work, until he was let go and replaced by a worker who had less than a year of experience.
King seeks a jury trial, lost wages and benefits, front pay, interest and litigation costs. He is represented by attorney Todd S. Bailess of Bailess Smith PLLC in Charleston.
Judge Louis H. “Duke” Bloom is assigned to the case.
Kanawha Circuit Court Case number 16-C-424