The accommodations allegedly requested? Just intermittent leave and breaks
Mars Petcare US sued for allegedly firing worker days after disability accommodation request
A forklift driver says Mars Petcare US fired him one day after he pressed for an answer on his FMLA leave request.
Abdoulaye Soumana filed a federal lawsuit on March 13 in the US District Court for the Southern District of Ohio (Soumana v. Mars Petcare US, Inc., Case No. 2:26-cv-00297-MHW-EPD), alleging the company terminated him because of his disability and to interfere with his right to medical leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act.
According to the lawsuit, Soumana had worked as a forklift driver at Mars Petcare's Columbus, Ohio location since around March 2021. He was diagnosed with a lumbar spine condition that caused right leg weakness — a condition he says substantially affected his ability to work. He informed both the company and his manager of his disability.
The sequence of events at the heart of the case, as laid out in court papers, moves fast.
On or around September 24, 2024, Soumana submitted medical documentation requesting FMLA leave. He also told his manager, identified in the suit as Lonicker, that he needed reasonable accommodations — specifically, intermittent leave and appropriate breaks when needed.
The next day, having received no response, he followed up.
The day after that — September 26 — Mars Petcare let him go.
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