Former manager of the Huntington branch files lawsuit against the bank, alleging violations under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA)
Huntington Bank is currently facing a lawsuit alleging wrongful termination related to family medical leave. Terri Estepp, a long-serving employee of 30 years, has filed a lawsuit claiming that she was wrongfully terminated following the death of her daughter and violations of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA).
According to the lawsuit, Estepp took four weeks of leave under the FMLA to care for her daughter, who was battling breast cancer. Soon after requesting an extension of her leave, Estepp claims she was fired. The district manager, reportedly overwhelmed with emotion, was said to have cried and struggled to speak during the termination.
However, the bank has maintained that they acted appropriately in this matter. The bank's spokesperson declined to comment on the active litigation, but did express condolences to Estepp and her family over the passing of her daughter.
Estepp's 400-page personnel file, spanning nearly three decades, was filled with praise, raises, and promotions, with no performance write-ups or indications of failures. This suggests that Estepp's termination was not due to poor performance.
The bank is committed to compliance with the Family and Medical Leave Act. Yet, Estepp alleges that she was never given a specific reason for her termination, despite asking for one. Furthermore, she claims that plans were already in place to terminate her, and that her district manager had re-credentialed her to access personal customer information before her termination.
In the last quarter before her termination, Estepp's branch was number one in the country. Before returning from her initial FMLA leave, she received texts from her district manager expressing excitement about her return. This raises questions about the bank's motives for her termination.
The lawsuit was filed in the Eastern District of Michigan, Southern Division, on a Monday. The bank has not commented on the allegations. Estepp's daughter, Samantha, died of breast cancer last year. The outcome of this lawsuit could set a precedent for similar cases involving family medical leave and wrongful termination.
- Despite the Bank's assertion of compliance with the Family and Medical Leave Act, Terri Estepp alleges that the bank violated the Act when they terminated her, which raises questions about their business practices in handling employee's medical leave.
- Terrified by the potential implications for their business, the Bank might have chosen to terminate a top-performing employee like Terri Estepp, following her family medical leave, for reasons other than poor finance performance, given her exemplary 30-year record, as suggested by her personnel file.
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