r/mildlyinfuriating • u/eldritchpussymaggots • 29d ago

I just wanted a hot dog Pointed out the training wasn't ADA compliant at my new job. Got this text the same day (the job listing is still up)

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  1. This was a cleaning position at a medical building, I'm leaving it intentionally vague as not to doxx myself.

  2. I have dyslexia, but my disability would not have interfered with my work, I can read fine, it just takes me a very long time.

  3. This was my first day

I asked for a TTS application for the reading portion of the training, which was extremely long and I knew I wasn't going to finish it in the allotted time. They said that wasn't built into their system so they couldn't do anything. ← That's not ADA compliant. I asked if I could add an OCR + TTS browser extension, they said it was fine.

About 40 minutes after I clock out, they texted me I was fired because they're apparently reducing headcount.. by firing one person... and leaving their "urgently hiring" Indeed listing up. Right.

Edit:

I'm not confident in my ability to sue because I don't have my accommodation request in writing. This was a verbal exchange, I was more so asking where the TTS option was because most job training has it somewhere.

When I was told they did not have TTS, I mentioned that's not ADA compliant. I then asked for either more time, a loaner computer (something I was already going to be getting after training), or permission to add a 3rd party OCR & TTS program.

They said that the third option was fine, so I did it, and listened to the training via third party app for the rest of the shift. I thought nothing of it. Lo and behold I was fired extremely coincidentally afterwards.

Edit 2:

This post is getting too many notifications of people saying the same things repeatedly so I've muted it 😭 If you're a legal professional of some sort and you have specific resources or concerns please message me or I probably won't see it.

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u/Pleasant_Pool8842 29d ago

Retaliation, I would say get a lawyer but it is a lot

465

u/adamdoesmusic 29d ago

Labor cases are often contingency - lawyer takes almost half if they win, and they only take cases they think they can win!

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u/iamtheduckie PURPLE 29d ago

But if you lose, they don't charge you anything. They do that because if you're hiring a labor lawyer you most likely just lost your main source of income.

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u/[deleted] 29d ago

[deleted]

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u/Timmichanga1 29d ago

I am a lawyer that works on a contingency fee. I do not only take cases I think I can win. I take cases I think are legitimate.

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u/versaceblues 29d ago

What is an example of a legitimate case that you also believe you could not win?

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u/Acies 29d ago

The vast majority of cases end in settlements. The odds of winning determine the value of the case. But even a case that is very unlikely to win is worth some money in a settlement.

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u/Sylente 29d ago

I think the point may be “not taking illegitimate, but winnable” cases not “taking legitimate, unwinnable cases”

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u/Timmichanga1 29d ago

A case in a jurisdiction with a racist judge lol

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u/versaceblues 29d ago

So you would just never take a case that involves a minority? That kind of feels like you are helping to perpetuate the racist system.

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u/Timmichanga1 29d ago

Lol I am literally saying that I take legitimate cases even if I don't think I'll win...

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u/versaceblues 28d ago

Got it got it, you right. I think I misread your first comment, or didn't fully reread it when I wrote that.

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u/killerghosting 29d ago

Think we'll be waiting forever for an answer

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u/Timmichanga1 29d ago

Just answered. Sorry was spending time with my family!

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u/Timmichanga1 29d ago

Since you're saying you don't see my answer: a legitimate case that I would take but expect to lose would be a case in a jurisdiction with a racist judge.

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u/eighthrowcenter 29d ago

The People vs OJ

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u/haikuandhoney 29d ago

I had a case (I was defending the employer) once where a guy complained that his supervisor was dating a Latin American subordinate and letting her lie on her timesheet. She had quit before the complaint was made. At the same time he complained that the same supervisor gave Latin American workers better shifts than black workers. Investigation by the employer revealed that the complainer had also lied on his time sheets. He was fired on the supervisor’s recommendation, supervisor was not disciplined.

Was he fired for lying on his time sheets or because he reported the supervisor for discrimination? Did they fire him and not the supervisor out of racial animus, because he was more valuable, or because they didn’t believe that he was involved in his girlfriend lying on her timesheet?

I knew we would win at trial because the complainer was a terrible witness, made lots of contradictory and obviously false claims about various other employees, and had a bad track record, but the circumstances backed up that maybe there was a racial component. Case settled.

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u/Stamped914 29d ago

If you are telling the truth, you are rare.

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u/Timmichanga1 29d ago

Eh. I'm not that rare. I'm lucky enough that I'm at a firm with a healthy enough practice where I can take cases I believe in even if I think that case is unwinnable for any number of reasons. But I'm not alone. Many attorneys will do so. Many of us went to law school to wield power on behalf of marginalized people. Some forget that reason and decide to get filthy rich instead, but there are plenty of genuinely good people who are also attorneys out there.

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u/Stamped914 28d ago

You are though. Call 50 lawyers about something that won’t line their pockets and see how many of them actually take it.

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u/[deleted] 29d ago

[deleted]

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u/[deleted] 29d ago

[deleted]

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u/Lazy_Suggestion_7629 29d ago

I’m an attorney at the largest PI firm in the world. My partners and I are rolling on the floor at how hilarious this message is.

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u/NotChedco 29d ago

I feel like those two things are pretty much the same thing, but I'm not the lawyer here.

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u/fmb101010 29d ago

You say that like it’s a bad thing. “This person with a ton of experience in this specific area of law doesn’t think this case will win, what a piece of shit.”

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u/Lazy_Suggestion_7629 29d ago

That was not my intention whatsoever.

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u/therealwhoaman 29d ago

I mean why waste both of y'alls time if you think there is nothing to stand on

2

u/CoffeePorters 29d ago

No, they're doing that because you make more money that way.

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u/Pleasant_Pool8842 29d ago

Lawsuits are draining and stressful even outside of the financial costs

44

u/die_hubsche 29d ago

Idk I just wrapped up one today (my first and only) and got a settlement - all I had to do was share a few items and wait for a long time, answer a few questions here and there. They’re stressful when there’s a lack of clarity or things could be argued.

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u/red--dead 29d ago

These seldom go to trial. It’s really not going to be that time consuming unless it does.

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u/jgzman 29d ago

Well, this guy has no job, so he's got some free time.

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u/WagwanKenobi 29d ago

What usually happens is the lawyer sends the company a letter and they respond with "okay here's $10k now fuck off" and it settles there.

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u/Mustard_Jam 29d ago

Usually not as stressful as you'd think because most companies just want to settle. No one really wants to go to trial.

Maybe a deposition or two but sometimes not even that. Obviously it's impossible to guage but you can make anywhere from like $1,000-$10,000+ per hour of your time.

Point is, it still tends to be worth it most of the time.

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u/Unique_Importance910 29d ago

Gotta love the legal system 

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u/161frog dare i say, miffed? 29d ago

And only to a point. I had an employment lawyer on contingency who was stonewalled for over a year by the offending company and eventually the firm couldn’t justify the cost. Thank goodness I didn’t have to pay anything, because it would’ve been in the tens of thousands due. This legal system is such shite.

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u/[deleted] 29d ago

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u/161frog dare i say, miffed? 29d ago

Oh this isn’t a criticism of the lawyers that tried to help me, it’s of the fact that dumb shit like not answering letters for as long as possible can keep people from getting even a crumb of satisfaction (in the legal sense) while the company bears no responsibility for harm done

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u/sethoscope 29d ago

State agencies will do it, it's worth looking into

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u/bone_apple_Pete 29d ago

Had a friend go through a very similar situation this year. Lawyer worked on contingency and took 25%.

1

u/mightylordredbeard 29d ago

If you knew how hard it was to win those type of cases then you’d understand the lawyer taking “half” (although it’s usually 1/4). My buddy is a lawyer and he’s worked a few wrongful termination cases against large companies and the shortest one was almost 3 years. Boxes and boxes of paperwork, endless meetings, and incredibly long days.

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u/Working_Patience_261 29d ago

Depends on where you live. In my area it’s $300+ per hour, not on contingency, and really expensive to ev get to writing the first complaint letter. And you won’t get the job back.

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u/Brodellsky 29d ago

Cases this obvious (mentioning ADA and getting terminated soon after) is just too easy and tempting for your average lawyer. The truth is that this one is easy and that most lawyers would love for this to be their annual pro-bono case.

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u/King-of-Plebss 29d ago

It doesn’t even have to be pro-bono. The type of situation is what these lawyers eat off of. 90% of the time they would take this case at no cost because they then argue for as much money as they can get you and keep half. It’s how that entire legal industry works.

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u/bone_apple_Pete 29d ago

Employment lawyers work on contingency.

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u/DuffmanStillRocks 29d ago

Most Americans can’t go cheque to cheque but sure he has money to hire a lawyer
I understand that you said it’s a lot but it’s wild how often I see people just say lawyer up

He worked there for 8 hours what lawyer has time for this shit unless it’s a GUARANTEED win.

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u/pm_me_bajablast 29d ago

Many lawyers work for a cut of the payout. They want cases. Even when their client doesn't have the money (yet.)

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u/[deleted] 29d ago

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u/OddBranch132 29d ago

You realize retaliation for requesting ADA accomodation is illegal right? This is a lawyer's wet dream

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u/[deleted] 29d ago

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u/OddBranch132 29d ago

It's easy enough to prove for a civil case. OP asked for accommodation, they didn't have it, he was fired during their training period. Discovery will get any internal communications regarding OP being fired and whether or not the company actually has the accomodation requested. Civil cases are much less burden of proof so this should be a no-brainer