PITTSBURGH – A woman who allegedly suffers from anxiety and PTSD filed a lawsuit against the state's Office of Information Technology, her former employer, accusing it of violating the Americans with Disabilities Act when it fired her.
Suzanne Sloat filed her complaint Sept. 16 in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.
Sloat was hired as a business analyst on July 2, 2018 and despite her health issues, she was able to perform her job duties, the suit says. She took extended lunch breaks on Mondays to see a therapist who helped her deal with her anxiety, she says.
In August, she witnessed a manager making inappropriate comments about another employee's disability, the lawsuit said, which triggered her anxiety. She sent emails to her supervisors, the manager in question and a human resources representative, but she received almost no response, the lawsuit said.
Later in the month, she filed a formal request for extended breaks on Monday, along with other requests to accommodate her medical issues, the suit says. Those requests were denied, the lawsuit said, and in a meeting in September, she was told in a meeting she should not be taking extended lunch breaks.
She filed a formal complaint alleging disability-related discrimination after the meeting, the lawsuit said. She was subsequently fired on Oct. 12. She was told it was for inappropriate workplace behavior, the lawsuit said, but she accused IT office of retaliation.
Sloat is seeking all reasonable sums due, attorney fees and court costs. She is represented by Crista Levko of Ruppert Manes Narahari in Philadephia.
The Middle District Court case No. 1:19-CV-01595