NEW ORLEANS - The University of Louisiana System Board of Supervisors faces allegations of disability discrimination and Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) violation at Nicholls University.
According to documents first filed in February in the Lafourche Parish District Court then later removed to New Orleans federal court, plaintiff Dr. Keri Turner worked for the university in Thibodaux as an Associate Professor of English Languages and Literature. Turner worked for the university for 20 years before she was diagnosed with Irritable Bowel Syndrome in 2010.
Turner requested accommodations from the defendant to be able to teach remotely when she needed to stay home due to her condition, but her request was denied and she was allegedly informed that if she did not take FMLA she would be terminated.
The plaintiff's requests to teach online only, accompanied Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant paperwork from her physician, was denied by the university, the suit says.
The defendants are charged with violation of Louisiana Disability Law, violation of the Louisiana Whistleblower Statute and FMLA violation.
Turner is represented by the Law Office of Dale Edward Williams of Covington.