A federal judge in Washington has dismissed one worker’s claims in a lawsuit accusing Amazon of penalizing employees who took military leave, but allowed another worker’s allegations to proceed to trial. The case involves claims of demotion and unfair treatment after employees took time off for military service.
Amazon Military Leave Suit : One Worker Dismissed from Suit
U.S. District Judge Marsha J. Pechman granted Amazon’s motion for summary judgment on Wednesday, dismissing former employee Yasmine Mahone’s claims. Mahone had accused the company of violating the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) by terminating her for taking military leave. However, the judge ruled that Amazon did not willfully violate the law when it fired and declined to rehire her.
Judge Pechman concluded that Mahone failed to prove that Amazon acted with the knowledge or reckless disregard required for her claim. “At most, Mahone has shown that Amazon was aware of USERRA at the time of her termination, but not that Amazon knowingly violated or recklessly disregarded its obligations,” the judge said.
