A former La-Z-Boy Inc. employee has filed a wrongful termination lawsuit, and is seeking class action status, against the company. The suit claims he was fired after sustaining injuries while on the job, on the day he filled out workman's compensation for those injuries. The lawsuit further claims that La-Z-Boy harassed workers who were injured on the job, then either fired them or put them in a position that forced them to quit.
Nearly 30 ex-employees, who claim they were wrongfully terminated after suffering injuries while on the job, have already filed affidavits. Workers allege that subsequent to being injured, they would be placed in jobs they were physically unable to perform, and that they were discouraged from applying for benefits. Court documents also allege the self-insured La-Z-Boy told its third-party adjuster to deny claims and refuse treatment. While the total number of potential plaintiffs is unknown, the class would include any of the 700 former employees whose job was terminated within one year of exercising, or attempting to exercise, their rights under the Utah Workers' Compensation Act.
