He scored 92% on his last review. Then he asked to work from home
A Veolia lawyer says he scored 92% on his last review. Then he asked to work from home — and lost his job.
Ryan Hagain spent nearly seven years as an in-house attorney at Veolia Water Municipal Services North America. According to a complaint filed May 15, 2026 in the Southern District of New York, he had strong reviews and steady bonuses to show for it - until a fall at home set off a chain of events that ended in his termination.
The filing says Hagain tripped over some cords on April 27, 2025, while watching his two young children, and landed awkwardly on his right foot. An urgent care X-ray confirmed a fracture the next morning. He told his supervisor, Jonathan Prince, and asked to work remotely while he got treatment. According to the complaint, Prince approved the request without asking for medical paperwork, consistent with what Hagain describes as Veolia's usual flexibility.
About a month later, the pain spread to his back and hip - symptoms Hagain says were similar to those that preceded a prior back surgery. The complaint says MRIs eventually pointed to bulging discs, and an X-ray later revealed a hip impingement. He was ultimately diagnosed with scar tissue, three bulging discs, and a hip impingement, the filing says.
Hagain kept logging in from his New York home, the complaint says, and kept Prince updated on appointments with an orthopedist, a pain specialist, and an orthopedic surgeon. He...
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