Man with social disorder sues after being denied request to work from home

A man with a social disorder is suing his employer alleging the company would not accommodate his disability.

Christopher Graves filed a lawsuit April 4 in the United States Court for the Eastern District of Texas Lufkin Division against Etech Inc., citing violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The lawsuit states that Graves, who has Asperger’s Syndrome and Attention Deficit Disorder, was hired at Etech as a customer service agent in 2007. He eventually was moved to the company’s chat service and then was allowed, with other employees, to work from home to free up office space, the complaint said.

According to the complaint, Graves flourished in his job while working from home and had difficulty with over-stimulation and social anxieties once Etech began moving all its operations back into the office. He asked to be allowed to work from home and his request was denied, the complaint said.

Graves was then punished, then promoted, then fired within a short period of time, the complaint said.

Graves is seeking a declaratory judgment recognizing the violation, compensatory damages, money that covers back pay, reinstatement or front pay, benefits, punitive damages, pre and post-judgment interest and court costs.

He is being represented by Alex A. Castetter of Stuckey, Garrigan & Castetter Law Offices.

U.S. District Court for the Eastern District Lufkin Division Case No. 9:14-CV-00049-KFG.

This is a report on a civil lawsuit filed at the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District Lufkin Division. The details in this report come from an original complaint filed by a plaintiff. Please note that a complaint represents an accusation by a private individual, not the government. It is not an indication of guilt, and it represents only one side of the story.