WINFIELD — A Putnam County man is suing Sysco Cincinnati alleging he was fired because he's disabled.
Matthew Grover was also named as a defendant in the suit.
Chad Rieve was employed with Sysco for more than three years and the defendant had a record of his physical impairments that substantially limited him in one or more of his major life activities, according to a complaint filed in Putnam Circuit Court.
Rieve claims he suffered a seizure in April 2021 and he was unable to work for a period of time after the seizure and he could not drive for six months.
The plaintiff sought a reasonable accommodation of leave for his disability and he informed the defendants he would not be able to drive for a period of time even after his return to work because of the seizure, according to the suit.
"While the Plaintiff was out on leave, he was told that he was under investigation by Defendant Sysco," the complaint states.
The defendant then terminated Rieve's employment on June 22, 2021, while he was still out on leave due to his disability, according to the suit.
Rieve claims the defendant said it was terminating his employment due to a "conflict of interest," which he says was pretextual and that he was actually terminated because of his disability.
"Upon information and belief, Defendant Grover knew or should have known that the termination of the Plaintiff by Sysco constituted a violation of the West Virginia Human Rights Act," the complaint states.
Rieve claims Grover gave substantial assistance and encouragement of Sysco's conduct and participated in Sysco's decision to terminate his employment.
The defendants discriminated against Rieve for his disability and failed to accommodate him, according to the suit.
Rieve is seeking compensatory and punitive damages with pre-judgment interest. He is represented by Paul L. Frampton Jr. of Atkinson & Polak in Charleston.
Putnam Circuit Court case number: 22-C-126