Florida resident Yovany Gonzalez is suing his former employers, Wells Fargo, claiming they laid him off because his daughter’s cancer treatments were too expensive.
Gonzalez’s daughter Mackenzie was diagnosed with cancer in 2008. After two years of medical treatment, Gonzalez was fired three days before Mackenzie went into surgery. The hospital immediately canceled the procedure, delaying her treatment. While a charity eventually helped pay for her surgery, Mackenzie passed away in 2011.
Gonzalez claims that the hospital canceled the surgery because his daughter no longer had health insurance, and Wells Fargo did not send him information on retaining insurance coverage for 90 pays, past COBRA’s deadline for filing. He also lost his life insurance coverage, and is now working for Chase Bank at a lower wage, because of Wells Fargo’s reasons for firing him.
Wells Fargo alleges that Gonzalez, who was working remotely and odd hours to be closer to his daughter during treatment, falsified his time sheets.
Bridget Braxton, a spokesperson for Wells Fargo, said, “While we’re very sympathetic to Mr. Gonzalez for his personal loss, his termination was unrelated to the allegations included in the lawsuit. We intend to vigorously defend the matter in court. We support and value our team members and our employment practices are in alignment with that focus.”
Legally, employers are not allowed to discriminate against employees for using their health insurance. While personal injury lawsuits with employers can turn into a battle of he-said-she-said, if you think your employer has discriminated against you or fired you because of health complications, you may be entitled to compensation. Many personal injury attorneys, including the experienced professionals at Strom Law, LLC, offer free consultations. Please contact us today – we want you to get the compensation you need to enjoy your life. 803.252.4800.
