PHILADELPHIA — A former employee is suing Michael’s Family Restaurant, alleging he was wrongfully terminated due to his history of drug addiction.
Anthony Serlis filed a lawsuit March 3 in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania against Michael’s Family Restaurant III Inc., Michael’s Family Restaurant II Inc., Michael’s Family Restaurant VI Inc., and Michael’s Family Restaurant VII Inc., all at Pennsylvania locations, alleging violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act, As Amended (ADAAA).
According to the complaint, Serlis began working as a server in 1997 for Michael's for various periods of employment. The plaintiff has a history of past opiate and heroin use and addiction, the suit says, of which the defendants were aware.
In May 2015, the defendants’ management terminated Serlis because money had gone missing from the registers, the complaint says. The plaintiff alleges he was not a cashier, did not have access to the registers and did not steal money from the defendants.
The lawsuit states the plaintiff was fired due to his history of drug addiction and past disabilities.
Serlis seeks all pay and benefits he would have received had he not been terminated, punitive damages, costs, expenses, attorney fees and a trial by jury. He is represented by attorney Ari R. Karpf of Karpf, Karpf & Cerutti PC in Bensalem.
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania Case number 2:16-cv-01024-GAM