Woman Sues Company For ‘Punishing’ Her After Stroke and Medical Leave

The lawsuit claims the woman could only return if she submitted a doctor’s note that indicated she had no restrictions and got a signed copy of her job description.

A woman is suing a Florida company after she claims she was “punished” with a performance plan the day she returned to work from medical leave after having a stroke.

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed a lawsuit on behalf of the woman on Dec. 20 in the Middle District of Florida. The commission is accusing Elon Property Management of disability discrimination and retaliation, the Miami Herald reports.

A Stroke 2.5 Years Into The Job

According to court documents, the woman at the center of the lawsuit was hired in September 2020 to oversee eight apartment complexes in the Tampa area. About two and a half years into the job, the woman had a stroke. The lawsuit says the company granted her medical leave for three months.

When it was time to return to work, human resources said, per company policy, she could only return if she submitted a doctor’s note that indicated she had no restrictions and got a signed copy of her job description, the lawsuit says.

The woman reportedly returned to work a week after speaking with HR. She alleges that her bosses put her on a performance improvement plan on the same day. When she was on medical leave, other employees managed her properties. Even still, the occupancy rates fell.

The lawsuit claims that her action plan required her to get occupancy rates back up during her first two weeks back to work, or she risked being fired. The woman refused to sign the plan, and her boss reportedly scheduled a meeting to issue a final warning. She resigned three days later because she felt the company was trying to fire her and also because she was worried about how the disciplinary actions from the company would impact her health.

According to EEOC attorneys, they say this “100% healed policy” discriminates against not only the woman who had the stroke but also against other Elon employees.

“The company will only allow workers to come back if they don’t need accommodations or have impairments,” the suit says. If workers don’t have the clearance, the suit claims workers are “terminated or forced to take additional leave.”