Lawsuit accuses company of demoting man for having epilepsy

 A Corbin man is accusing a local business of violating Kentucky law for demoting him for having epilepsy.

In a civil complaint filed in Whitley Circuit Court Feb. 26, Kenneth Stover claims that Family Dollar in Corbin illegally removed him as assistant manager in January of this year after he suffered an epileptic seizure while on the job.

According to the complaint, Stover was hired on at the store as a cashier sometime in June 2013. He was later promoted to Assistant Manager.

On Jan. 5, Stover had an epileptic seizure. He returned to work on Jan. 9.

The lawsuit claims that store manager Bobby Smallwood (aka Patrick Smallwood) removed Stover from his Assistant Manager position, saying the move was a decision made by Family Dollar’s corporate division “and was being done because of the epileptic seizures.”

Attorneys for Stover say the move violates the states Civil Rights Act because it forbids workplace discrimination based on, among other things, disabilities. The lawsuit alleges Family Dollar also violated the state’s Equal Opportunity Act.

“The defendant did not make, or attempt to make any reasonable accommodations for Stover, not give any other consideration for its conduct.”

The lawsuit says Stover was “wrongfully” terminated from his position and is asking for compensation based on lost income and expected future income, pain and suffering, mental anguish and humiliation, along with punitive damages.

The lawsuit was filed by Corbin attorney Emmett Daniel Clifford.

No formal response has been filed by Family Dollar, Inc.