Civil Rights Violation Suit Filed Against Safelite
January 7, 2013

by Casey Neeley, cneeley@glass.com

Former employee Wallace Pittman Sr., has filed a civil rights discrimination suit against Safelite Glass Corp. alleging the company terminated him as a result of health problems. The suit was filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina, Eastern Division.

In his complaint, Wallace claims he "went to the hospital with chest pain from the job on December 22, 2009. On December 28, 2009, I went to work to ask for a day of vacation because I was under doctor care until December 29, 2009. Kamp Edward [manager] said no. He said I needed a 24-hour notice for vacation. Safelite was close[d] for Christmas on December 24, 2009 and December 25, 2009, so I could not ask for vacation in a 24-hour notice."

Pittman then says in the complaint that Edwards, "terminate[d] me. [He] knew of my heart [condition] and knew I had seizures."

The complaint notes that Pittman filed charges with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in 2010. He received a letter containing a notice of a right to sue from the EEOC August 2, 2012. The notice of suit rights was signed by EEOC director Thomas M. Colclough on July 31, 2012.

Safelite answered the complaint by saying the defendant "admits that on December 22, 2009, plaintiff went to the hospital due to a medical issue. Defendant admits that plaintiff requested a vacation day on December 28, 2009, and that plaintiff's request was denied due to his failure to provide sufficient notice as required by defendant's policies. Further answering, defendant states that plaintiff did not inform defendant on December 28, 2009, that he needed a vacation day due to a medical condition. Defendant denies the remaining allegations..."

Melina Metzger, spokesperson for Safelite, says, "While we cannot comment on the specifics of any lawsuit, Safelite leaders promote an ethical workplace and discrimination of any kind is against company policies."

A representative for the EEOC declined to comment on the case.

Stay tuned to glassBYTEs.com™ as this story develops.

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