A former employee has filed a lawsuit against a major home improvement retailer, alleging discrimination and wrongful termination. Jordan Nagle initiated the complaint in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania on August 12, 2024, against The Home Depot.
According to the court documents, Nagle claims that The Home Depot violated several laws, including the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Pennsylvania Human Relations Act (PHRA), and the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). Nagle alleges that he was diagnosed with depression and anxiety disorder on September 28, 2022. The following day, he informed his employer about his condition and requested intermittent medical leave under FMLA as a reasonable accommodation. Despite complying with all requirements and procedures for requesting leave, Nagle was terminated on October 18, 2022. He asserts that nine out of ten points accrued against him for absences were directly related to his disability and need for medical leave.
Nagle's complaint further details how The Home Depot failed to engage in an interactive process to determine reasonable accommodations for his disabilities. Instead of accommodating him, they used his medical leave as a negative factor in their decision to terminate his employment. "Defendant used Plaintiff’s need and/or use of a reasonable accommodation as negative contributing factors for termination," reads one part of the complaint. This action is claimed to be in direct violation of both ADA and PHRA regulations.
Additionally, Nagle accuses The Home Depot of interfering with his FMLA rights by terminating him in retaliation for attempting to exercise those rights. According to Nagle, after he was fired, he received a letter from The Home Depot stating that his request for intermittent medical leave had been approved retroactively from September 28, 2022—the very period during which he was penalized for absences.
Nagle seeks multiple forms of relief from the court: back wages, front pay, bonuses amounting to no less than $150,000; punitive damages; compensatory damages; costs incurred during litigation; pre-judgment interest; and any other relief deemed just and equitable by the court. He also requests that any verdict be molded by the court to maximize financial recovery within federal law limits.
The case is being handled by attorneys Mary Kramer and Michael Murphy from Murphy Law Group LLC. It has been assigned Civil Action No.: 3:24-cv-01350-JKM before Judge JKM.