Former Olin worker claims he was fired after work comp claim

A Madison County man has filed suit against his former employer, alleging it fired him after he filed a workers' compensation claim.

Bradley O'Brien claims he filed the workers' compensation claim after he sustained injuries to his left hand when it got caught in a conveyor belt as he was working at defendant Olin Corporation's and/or Global Brass and Copper's facility on June 4.

Following the incident, O'Brien filed a workers' compensation claim, which Olin and/or Global Brass accepted, according to the complaint filed May 17 in Madison County Circuit Court.

On June 16, O'Brien filed an application for an adjustment of his claim with the Illinois Workers' Compensation Committee and had, at some point before, hired an attorney to represent him, the suit states.

After O'Brien filed the application for adjustment, employees at Olin and/or Global Brass demanded O'Brien talk to them about the workers' compensation claim or face termination, the complaint says.

"Olin and/or Global Brass, through its agents, attempted to harass O'Brien in an effort to prevent him from exercising his rights under the Illinois Workers' Compensation Act," the suit states. "In addition to repeatedly raising the issue of O'Brien's claim, Olin, acting through its employees, repeatedly demanded that O'Brien act out the manner in which his injury occurred and informed him that if he did not, he would be fired."

Over the course of several meetings, Olin and/or Global Brass continued to threaten O'Brien, before they told him, "You just made a big mistake," according to the complaint.

On June 22, Olin and/or Global Brass fired O'Brien because of his attempts to file for workers' compensation benefits, he claims.

In his four-count complaint, O'Brien is seeking a judgment of more than $200,000, plus costs.

He will be represented by Dawn K. O'Leary and Peter S. Blasi of Roth Evans in Granite City.

Madison County Circuit Court case number: 10-L-524.