Supervisor allegedly cited worker's "attendance and health" to block a transfer
A former John Deere employee is suing the agricultural equipment giant, alleging she was fired for using medical leave and speaking up about disability discrimination.
Laiken Donaldson worked as a Material Coordinator at Deere & Company's Harvester Works facility in Moline, Illinois, from in or about January 24, 2023, until she was let go on or about July 16, 2025. In a lawsuit filed on April 13, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of Illinois (Case No. 4:26-cv-04098), Donaldson alleges the company discriminated against her because of a disability, failed to accommodate her medical needs, and retaliated against her for exercising her rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Family and Medical Leave Act.
Donaldson says she has stage four endometriosis, a condition that causes debilitating pain, fatigue, and complications requiring ongoing medical care, treatment, and surgical intervention. Despite this, she maintains she was fully capable of doing her job, with or without reasonable accommodation.
As her condition worsened, Donaldson applied for and was approved for intermittent FMLA leave in or around March 2025. She also asked for accommodations, including time off for treatment and a transfer to a less physically and mentally strenuous role within the company. According to the lawsuit, Deere never meaningfully engaged in the process of working out...
By John Kruzel WASHINGTON, May 18 (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court declined on Monday to hear a challenge by drugmaker Eli Lilly to a Civil War-era whistleblower law that has recovered billions ...