EAST ST. LOUIS – Dynamic Transit is being sued by a former truck driver for allegedly discriminating against him due to a disability requiring some task modifications.
Plaintiff Brian Ford filed the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois against Dynamic Transit, Co., citing discrimination in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
According to the lawsuit, Ford had undergone hip surgery in 2019 and had a rod permanently placed in his right femur - a procedure that substantially limited his ability to conduct major life activities and classified him as an individual with a disability under the ADA, the suit states. Ford claims he had disclosed his disability to Dynamic prior to being hired as a truck driver on Jan. 26, 2021, and was initially told that his disability would not affect his position as a truck driver.
Ford claims he was then asked to crawl into the back of a trailer during pre-employment orientation. He alleges he informed his orientation leader that he was unable to crawl into the trailer unassisted because of his previously disclosed disability. Instead, he said he could crawl into the trailer with the use of a stepladder, a compromise he claims that other drivers working for Dynamic utilize.
Ford claims that just as he was about to depart on his first trip as a truck driver, he was told that he was being terminated by Dynamic because of his failure to demonstrate that he could crawl into the trailer unassisted during orientation.
Ford is demanding a trial by jury to seek damages for loss of income, emotional distress, attorney's fees, court costs, and any other relief the court deems proper. He is represented in this case by attorney Ross A. Davis of Davis & Gras, LLC. in St. Louis.
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois case number 3:22-CV-00460