BATON ROUGE -- Michael Phillips filed a lawsuit on June 22 in East Baton Rouge Parish District Court against Vivid Ink, Inc., for disability discrimination and harassment in retaliation in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
According to the complaint, which was recently removed to federal court, Phillips was an employee of Vivid Ink and was a qualified individual with a disability within the meaning and intent of federal law due to a major heart defect which offers daily impairment to his life activities including breathing, walking, working, movement, tending to his personal needs and being subjected to stressful situations.
On March 3, 2016, Phillips was hired as a shipping specialist by Vivid Ink. In March 2020, Phillips alleges to have began suffering derogatory statements about his disabilities such as being called "the sickest guy in the company," false accusations of poor performance and not clocking in or out in accordance to policy, false accusations of being rude to others, told that the working environment was "more peaceful" without Phillips working there and was threatened to be terminated because of his disability and treatment needs.
Phillips seeks damages which include, but are not limited to pain and suffering, lost wages and benefits, loss of earning capacity, past future medical expenses, humiliation and embarrassment, severe and extreme emotional distress and mental anguish; attorney's fees and cost of suit. Phillips is represented by Kaitlin A. Wall.