He took FMLA leave for his dying mother — and alleges retaliation followed him back
Employee alleges he was fired after prayer was mistaken for sleeping — following FMLA leave for dying mother
An Indiana insurer allegedly fired an employee after co-workers mistook his prayer for sleeping — months after he returned from FMLA leave.
Cameron Nasser worked as an investment operations analyst at American United Life Insurance Company, also known as OneAmerica Financial, starting in May 2023. By all accounts in a federal complaint filed on March 12, he performed his duties without issue — until life intervened.
On April 20, 2024, Nasser's mother was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer. He was granted FMLA leave beginning May 30, 2024, to care for her during her last illness. He returned to work on August 19, 2024, after she died.
What he came back to, according to the case filing (Nasser v. American United Life Insurance Company, No. 1:26-cv-481, S.D. Ind.), looked nothing like the job he left. A new employee had been hired into his role. His responsibilities had been degraded. His manager moved his desk right next to hers — and then refused to speak to him.
What followed was a pattern of escalation. His manager began issuing performance improvement plans over what Nasser describes as very minor, pretextual issues, each one accompanied by threats of termination. When he brought his concerns to the company's HR department — telling them he believed his manager was building a case...
"These people are leading the country towards religious fanaticism, religious bigotry, racism, and even towards war," says the Sinhala-language caption of a Facebook graphic shared on May 2, 2026....