NEW ORLEANS -- A woman is suing her former employer for allegedly firing her while recovering from a stroke.
Alicia Shelton-Hotard filed a complaint on June 25 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana against Specialty Demolition LLC and KMT Painting and Decorating LLC.
The defendants are a single enterprise, the lawsuit states, and hired Shelton-Hotard on June 3, 2013, as an executive administrative assistant at the defendant's New Orleans office.
The lawsuit states that the defendants then fired Shelton-Hotard after a 12-day absence due to a verifiable health condition "that made the plaintiff unable to perform the functions of her position with defendants."
On July 12, 2014, Shelton-Hotard suffered a stroke and was hospitalized for three days, after which her doctor ordered her to recover until she was able to return to work on Aug. 18, 2014.
The plaintiff seeks back pay and benefits, front pay and benefits, liquidated damages for back pay and benefits, as well as anguish and humiliation, medical expenses, punitive damages, attorneys' fees, interest and court costs.
The plaintiff is represented by attorney Clement P. Donelon of Metairie.
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana case number 2:15-cv-02309-EEF-MBN .