Man with Down syndrome sues Whole Foods over alleged wrongful termination

Описание: A local man with Down syndrome has filed a lawsuit against Whole Foods, alleging wrongful termination after he declined to retire from his position as a bagger at the Rookwood Commons location.

Vince Igoe, who had worked at the store for over 20 years, was dismissed in January after returning from neck surgery last September.

"They wanted to get Vince to retire. When he said he didn't want to, they fired him," said Bob Igoe, Vince's brother. "They said they didn't know if he could do his job. Then, they said, after he'd been here since the store opened, that they didn't think he could understand safety briefings. Then, they said that he had too much unpaid time off. So, they gave a bunch of different reasons, depending on who you were talking to."

Bob Igoe described his brother as "the hardest working man I know," and expressed concern over the impact the termination has had on Vince's self-worth.

"It's been really hard. Sometimes he breaks down and cries when he has to talk about it. I think it's really challenged his self-worth. He told me once that he feels ashamed about it, and I told him not to be ashamed. He didn't do anything wrong," Bob Igoe said.

Vince Igoe shared his feelings about the situation, saying, "Stupid," when asked how it felt to be fired.

The lawsuit claims that Whole Foods violated Ohio laws designed to protect individuals with disabilities in the workforce.

"Ohio law is specifically created to help guys like Vince with disabilities to participate fully, like all the rest of us do in the workforce and in life. And Whole Foods disregarded the law and fired Vince without following the rules," Bob Igoe said. "We want to really make sure that they don't discriminate against others with disabilities and that they understand in Ohio, we have rules, and that they have to follow those rules if they want to do business here when it comes to supporting our disabled community."

Whole Foods has not responded to requests for comment, but the company's attorneys have filed a motion to dismiss parts of the lawsuit, stating that the company "denies that Vincent was terminated for anything other than legitimate, non-discriminatory reasons and further denies that any defendants engaged in any unlawful activity."

They are also seeking additional time to respond to the discrimination claims.

Despite the ordeal, Vince Igoe is ready to move forward and start looking for a new job.

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