From Salt Lake City’s Fox 13 News:
A mother is filing a lawsuit against a Salt Lake City-based company after she claims they fired her once they learned her son had cancer.
Becky Claussen has worked for a Salt Lake City Company called The Summit Group for 13 years.
Working remotely in Virginia, Claussen said things changed after her 10-year-old son Cameron was diagnosed with Leukemia in April.…
Claussen took paid time off and when she went back to work, she said her job assignment changed and she received an email saying, “I think we both know you can’t perform the account manager position adequately under the new circumstances.”
In July, Claussen said her boss flew from Utah to Virginia to meet up.
“I went down to the hospital lobby and I met with him,” said Claussen. “That’s where he told me they were ending the business relationship.”
In that moment, Claussen said her boss fired her.
Returning to Cameron’s hospital room, Claussen explained what had happened—he then turned to her and said, “I’m sorry I got cancer cause it made you lose your job.”
If you fly across the country to fire an employee while she is in the hospital with her child battling Leukemia, you might be the worst employer of 2020.
* Silver lining: after five rounds of chemotherapy, the cancer is in remission.
** The company fully denies the allegations, stating, in part: “We are saddened about this situation. The allegation that we let someone go because of a family health situation is categorically untrue. We have been a small business operating in Utah for nearly 40 years and have countless examples of supporting both our employees and their families in the midst of various life trials. We also took reasonable steps to try to accommodate Becky, by granting all of her requests for time off and her request to be relieved of some of her job duties. We provided a flexible working schedule for her at her request. Becky confirmed to me via email that ‘you guys did what works for my family.’”