A lawnmower trade-in, threats of prosecution, and a resignation he says was forced
A former Ohio facilities director says his employer stripped his duties during medical leave, then pushed him out with an investigation he calls retaliation.
The plaintiff climbed the ranks at Akron Public Schools, moving from small engine repairer to Director of Facilities Services under a renewed contract paying $124,278.28. On July 10, 2026, he sued the district, its board, and more than a dozen current and former officials in the US District Court for the Northern District of Ohio.
For anyone who runs an HR function, the complaint hits two familiar nerves: leave that overlaps with a reorganization, and a discrimination charge followed by a fresh investigation.
Plaintiff says the trouble started when he took approved leave under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) in November 2024 to care for his spouse after major surgery. According to the complaint, the district quickly began peeling away his role. His oversight of a division of about 300 employees was handed off, his office became a cubicle, and his access to district email and financial systems was shut off two days after he complained about the changes.
The complaint says an outside law firm the district hired later completed an investigation, and it alleges the resulting report found the then-superintendent had retaliated against the plaintiff over a letter he sent the board in November 2024. That superintendent was...
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