The agency's investigator barely remembered the case five years later – here's what the court ruled
A federal agency is suing Alto Ingredients for allegedly firing an electrician over his disability – just three months after he started.
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission brought the case in June 2024, filing on behalf of Mark Butcher in the Central District of Illinois. The allegation is straightforward: Alto Ingredients, Inc. terminated Butcher because of his disability, rather than for a legitimate, nondiscriminatory reason, in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The case has not yet reached a decision on that central question. But a ruling handed down on April 27, 2026, by U.S. Magistrate Judge Ronald L. Hanna offers a window into how the litigation has unfolded – and it has not been smooth.
Alto moved to compel the EEOC to hand over three sets of documents: investigation notes from the EEOC employee who handled Butcher's complaint, records of prior EEOC charges Butcher had filed against other employers, and personnel records for the investigator herself, including her discipline, evaluation, review, and training records. The court denied all three requests.
The story behind those requests is where things get interesting for anyone who manages people for a living.
The EEOC investigator assigned to Butcher's case was J'Ana Diamond. When Alto finally secured her deposition – after initial resistance from the agency – Diamond showed up...
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