17-year Abbott employee sues, alleges firing over approved FMLA use

The crux of his case centers on a 2023 performance review he received in March 2024. According to court documents, his supervisor praised his “competence and capability to truly excel as a leader” and noted he “holds a lot of insights that can benefit our business.” But in the same review, Goski was allegedly told his “visibility did not meet expectations.”

The problem, Goski argues, is that his limited visibility stemmed directly from approved FMLA leave for documented medical conditions, including hemochromatosis, irritable bowel syndrome, generalized anxiety disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder. He says he renewed his intermittent leave annually from 2021 through 2025, and management knew exactly why he was absent.

This was not an isolated comment, according to the lawsuit. Goski claims most of his prior reviews contained similar remarks about his “on-site presence” or “visibility,” even as his leave requests kept getting approved.

He tried to address the issue internally. In August 2024, Goski reached out to Abbott’s Human Resources department to raise concerns about his FMLA usage and what he perceived as retaliation. He spoke with multiple employee relations representatives over several months. According to his account, nothing changed.

Then came January 14, 2025. Abbott terminated Goski just five days after he last used approved intermittent FMLA leave. He was 47 years old at the time, with compensation of approximately $265,000 per year including benefits and bonus.