ST. LOUIS — After two days of deliberation, a St. Louis County jury entered a $6.45 million verdict in favor of a former employee of UniFirst Corporation on Friday afternoon in a civil lawsuit for disability discrimination in employment and unlawful retaliation.
The employee was fired in 2015 after he exercised his workers’ compensation rights, and reported discriminatory treatment. The retaliatory discharge was in violation of both the Missouri Workers’ Compensation Law (MWCL) and the Missouri Human Rights Act (MHRA).
The employee was represented by Dashtaki Law Firm, LLC and the Law Offices of Melvin Kennedy, LLC. Calling the verdict a victory for employees with disabilities, Cyrus Dashtaki of Dashtaki Law Firm, LLC said “I am proud that such a fine jury sent a clear message to UniFirst Corporation that it cannot escape the duty to accommodate by forcing unpaid leave on an employee who requests reasonable accommodations and asserts their rights. Employers who shut the door on employees with disabilities by discriminating and retaliating will be held accountable.”
Cyrus Dashtaki also praised the work of his trial team, including co-counsel L.E. Beck and Melvin Kennedy, and paralegal Sandra Sintakas. Dashtaki Law Firm, LLC is committed to seeking relief for employees who are harmed by discrimination on the basis of disability and retaliation for exercising their rights under Missouri law.
Dashtaki Law Firm, LLC exclusively represents employees standing up against employment discrimination based on age, race, sex, religion, national origin, or disability.