A former employee has filed a lawsuit against a major grocery chain, alleging disability discrimination and retaliation. Lynette Miller filed the complaint in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania on August 13, 2024, against The GIANT Company, LLC.
According to the court documents, Miller began working as a Store Associate at The GIANT Company's Harrisburg location on March 15, 2022. Her duties required her to work in various departments within the store. However, after being diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in February 2023 and experiencing medication side effects that caused her to stutter, Miller alleges she faced significant workplace discrimination. She claims that after informing her Assistant Store Manager about her condition and its side effects, her work hours were gradually reduced from thirty hours per week to zero by May 29, 2023.
Miller provided a doctor’s note explaining her symptoms and requesting reasonable accommodations. Despite this, she asserts that her hours continued to be cut drastically. By June 20, 2023, Miller had reached out to Jennifer Snyder from Human Resources but did not receive a satisfactory resolution. Although some of her hours were temporarily restored in July 2023, they never returned to their original level before she disclosed her medical condition.
Feeling forced out due to these reductions and what she describes as an unsupportive work environment, Miller resigned on March 8, 2024. She contends that The GIANT Company discriminated against her because of her disability and retaliated against her for requesting accommodations and filing complaints about the discriminatory treatment.
Miller is seeking back wages, front pay, lost benefits, compensatory damages for emotional pain and suffering, punitive damages sufficient to punish The GIANT Company for its alleged intentional misconduct, attorney fees, pre-judgment interest, and any other relief deemed just by the court.
The case is being handled by attorney Benjamin Salvina from Marzzacco Niven & Associates. It is presided over by Judge Jennifer P. Wilson under Case ID: 1:24-cv-01355-JPW.