ALLENTOWN — A former employee is suing Lehigh Valley Health Network Inc. and Lehigh Valley Hospital Inc., citing an alleged violation of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA).
Nilda O'Brien filed a complaint July 25 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, claiming that the defendants wrongfully fired her in May in retaliation for her complaint about disability discrimination and for requesting reasonable accommodations, including FMLA leave, to care for her serious health conditions.
O'Brien said her health conditions cause her to suffer abdominal pain, severe diarrhea, fatigue and malnutrition.
The plaintiff said the defendants allegedly dissuaded her from taking additional time off for fear of termination and fired her after months of subjecting her to hostility because of her health conditions and her requests for accommodations.
The plaintiff requests a trial by jury and seeks compensatory, punitive and liquidated damages, costs and expenses of the action and attorney's fees. She is represented by Ari Karpf of Karpf, Karpf & Cerutti PC in Bensalem, Pennsylvania.
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania case number 18-cv-03119