FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ON JUNE 1, 2022 AT 9 AM
Contact: Nicole Kallestad at Premier Law Group
Phone: (206) 285–1743
Email: niki@premierlawgroup.com
After nearly two years of litigation, a jury awarded Richard Mooney $160,000 in his
FMLA violation claim against Roller Bearing Company of America (“RBC”) for lost
wages after being wrongfully terminated in April 2020.
Mr. Mooney began working as a sales engineer for Roller Bearing Company of
America in March 2018. He was 66 years old with over 30 years of industrial sales
experience. Within the first year of his employment at Roller Bearing Company, his
sales territory was unexpectedly doubled, and he had difficulty keeping up with the
increased workload.
After much distress, Mr. Mooney visited a physician and was diagnosed with severe
depression and received a doctor’s order to take time away from his job for his
mental health. Mr. Mooney and his physician completed the Family and Medical
Leave Act paperwork and submitted it to the Roller Bearing Company.
The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) entitles eligible employees of covered
employers to take unpaid, job-protected leave for specified family and medical
reasons. Eligible employees can take up to twelve weeks of unpaid leave in a
twelve-month period without fear of losing their job.
The Roller Bearing Company approved Mr. Mooney’s FMLA request to take time off
in early January 2020. On his doctor’s order, his leave was extended for another
month. When his medical leave ended, Mr. Mooney contacted the company about
returning to work.
On the day he returned to work at the Roller Bearing Company, Mr. Mooney
was notified that he was terminated from his role.
Mr. Mooney contacted Patrick Kang of Premier Law Group and pursued an FMLA
violation claim against Roller Bearing Company. Mr. Mooney alleged that Roller
Bearing Company violated his state and federal Family and Medical Leave Act rights
by terminating him because he extended his FMLA leave for his medical condition.
Roller Bearing Company denied that it let Mr. Mooney go because he extended his
medical leave. When Mr. Mooney was terminated, RBC claimed the company was
downsizing because of the potential financial impact of COVID-19.
The lawsuit culminated in a five-day jury trial conducted in Seattle, Washington.
After deliberations, the jury in Mooney v. Roller Bearing Company of America
(“RBC”) returned a verdict in Richard Mooney’s favor, awarding him $160,000 for
lost wages and finding that he was wrongfully terminated in violation of state and
federal FMLA laws.
“It has been a privilege to represent Mr. Mooney and tell his story to the jury. We should
all feel safe that employers will follow the law, and when they don’t, it is my honor to
help good people like Mr. Mooney get the justice they deserve,” said Patrick Kang after
hearing the jury’s decision.
Download [PDF]: https://plg-pllc.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/PRESS-RELEASE-Mooney-v.-Roller-Bearing-Company-of-America.pdf