Former Employee Sues Chipotle After She Says She Was Fired For Having Cystic Fibrosis
Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. was sued on Monday by a former employee claiming the company violated the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Civil Rights Act of 1991.
According to the Boston Business Journal, the plaintiff, Amanda Connell, filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Massachusetts. Connell has cystic fibrosis and was hired to work for the company in December 2011. She worked as a crew member at the Franklin, Mass., location.
Connell claims she told her boss on March 28, 2012, that she would be late for work the following day since "a nurse would be coming to her house to draw blood to check her medication levels."
That was the first time Connell had mentioned her cystic fibrosis to any of her supervisors, the lawsuit says. It does state, though, that a manager overseeing her was aware of her cystic fibrosis and was encouraged to keep that information private.
When she showed up for work on March 29, 2012, with a shunt showing partly in her arm -- it was for a "peripherally inserted central catheter" -- the suit says she was questioned by her boss and another manager. Connell explained that it was "for the treatment of lung disease."
According to the suit, Connell was terminated from her job at Chipotle Mexican grill the next day.
The company has declined to comment on the incident with a spokesman saying they will not speak, pending legal action.
The lawsuit claims that a customer complaint was used as a reason to terminate Connell. But it was added that Connell was not working when the mentioned incident occurred.
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