BECKLEY — A crane dispatcher is suing a Raleigh County construction business, alleging disability discrimination and wrongful termination.
William D. Gilkerson of Raleigh County filed a complaint April 9 in the Raleigh Circuit Court against Beckley Crane & Construction Inc. and Arnold L. Maynard III, alleging violation of the West Virginia Human Rights Act.
According to the complaint, in February 2017, Gilkerson was terminated from his employment, which coincided with the expiration of his low earnings payment with the WorkForce West Virginia.
The plaintiff alleges the defendants discriminated against him and terminated his employment due to diabetes-related health issues and replaced him with a younger employee who had no disability.
Gilkerson seeks trial by jury, compensatory and punitive damages, court costs, attorney fees and all further appropriate relief. He is represented by attorneys Walt Auvil and Kirk Auvil of The Employment Law Center PLLC in Parkersburg.
Raleigh Circuit Court case number 18-C-194