The Hintzen Law Firm Files FMLA Wrongful Termination LawsuitJune 18, 2013

Last week HLF filed a federal complaint in DC District Court. The basis of the complaint was wrongful termination under the FMLA and DCFMLA. Below is a Washington Business Journal news article summarizing the lawsuit.

Engility sued by former employee
claiming unlawful termination
while on maternity leave

Jill R. Aitoro
Senior Staff Reporter- Washington Business Journal

Chantilly-based Engility Holdings Inc. is facing a lawsuit from a former
employee who claims the company fired her during maternity leave and
allegedly hired another person to perform comparable work in violation of the
Family and Medical Leave Act.
Tamika Edmonds, a payroll specialist who worked for Engility for more than
eight years, filed a complaint with the U.S. District Court for the District of
Columbia stating that the company terminated her 12 weeks into her 16-week
maternity leave, claiming that the position had been eliminated. However,
according to the lawsuit, the company changed the title of her position and
hired someone else to perform virtually the same job.
In its explanation for the termination, Engility allegedly pointed to changes in
the payroll process at the company and said in an email to employees that the
position requirement for processing timesheet charges would need to be filled
by a job costing analyst/project accountant with a bachelor’s degree in
accounting, as well as deep knowledge of time and labor management and a
third-party timesheet system module.
According to the complaint, an advertisement for the position of job costing
accountant included nine duties — six of which were performed by Edmonds as
payroll specialist.
Edmonds is suing the company for violation of both the federal Family and
Medical Leave Act and the D.C. Family and Medical Leave Act, as well as for
retaliation under both statutes.
She is asking for actual damages and liquidated damages for the period of time
provided by law, including appropriate back pay, front pay and reimbursement
for lost pension, insurance and all other benefits for all counts. She is also
suing for compensatory damages and liquidated damages in the amount of
$150,000 per count for all counts, and all legal and attorneys’ fees.