The Arizona Attorney General’s Office filed a discrimination lawsuit against Sullivan Motor Company in Mesa, a used car dealership accused of wrongfully terminating a disabled employee suffering from stage 4 lung cancer. The lawsuit alleges that the company discriminated against the employee who had become disabled during his ongoing battle with cancer.
The State filed the lawsuit based on an investigation conducted by the Arizona Attorney General’s Office Civil Rights Division. In 2014, Francis Beesley, a salesman at Sullivan Motor Company was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic lung cancer, papillary thyroid cancer, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with emphysema. Beesley notified management at Sullivan and continued to work at the dealership. In February 2015, Beesley requested a modified work schedule due to his cancer and cancer-related fatigue. Sullivan agreed to grant Beesley’s request. In May 2015, Beesley was diagnosed with skin cancer and needed to be out for two weeks for medical procedures. Management at Sullivan notified Beesley they could no longer accommodate his disability with reduced hours and terminated him.
The lawsuit alleges Sullivan Motor Company violated the Arizona Civil Rights Act by failing to provide Beesley with reasonable accommodation for his disability, denied him employment opportunities based on the need to make a reasonable accommodation for his disability, and subjected Beesley to discrimination in the terms, conditions, and privileges of employment and terminated his employment based on disability.
The Attorney General’s Office is seeking a judgment for Beesley’s loss of wages and injunctive relief to stop the alleged discriminatory practices.