The employee is suing for damages
A former Amazon employee is suing the e-commerce giant claiming that the company terminated her employment for taking too frequent bathroom breaks.
Maria Iris Jennitte Olivero, the plaintiff, filed the case in June in New Jersey Superior Court to seek damages. According to Olivero, she has irritable bowel syndrome, which she said can make her use the bathroom up to six times a day.
She informed her employer about her situation in November 2020, months after she was hired in July, and was asked to present a doctor's note. Business Insider reported that Olivero did not get a doctor's note, citing the plaintiff's filing.
Later in January, Olivero said she was asked again to provide a doctor's note within five days, or she was getting written up. However, the employee said the first possible appointment to the doctor was after six days. The filing revealed that Olivero failed to get a note, and she was fired five days after she was written up.
Olivero is now accusing Amazon of discriminating against someone with a disability and failing to comply to New Jersey's Law Against Discrimination.
Amazon's response
Early this month, Amazon responded to the filing in the US District Court, attempting to bring the case to a federal court due to Olivero's expected claim.
The retailer believes that Oliveros is seeking more than $75,000 in damages, despite the plaintiff not specifying it in the lawsuit.
"Plaintiff earned $15.25 per hour, or $31,720.00 annualised, and received a $0.60 per hour shift differential, or $1,248.00 annualised. Therefore, at the time of this filing, plaintiff's purported gross lost wages to date are $17,251.75," the company's lawyers were quoted by Business Insider as saying.