Former worker sues Amazon, alleges firing after stroke leave

Amazon approved roughly six months of leave, including time protected under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) – a federal law guaranteeing eligible workers unpaid, job-protected time off for serious health conditions – so she could recover, the complaint states.

She returned to the job around June 2025 with doctor-ordered restrictions, according to the filing. She could not push, pull, lift, or carry more than 20 pounds, and she could not work overtime. The complaint says Amazon agreed to those conditions. She renewed them monthly through her doctor, and the company stayed on continuous notice of her ongoing needs, the filing states.

What happened next, according to the complaint, follows a pattern HR professionals will recognize. In November 2025, Amazon scheduled her for more than 40 hours in certain weeks despite the overtime cap. The filing says the worker told her supervisor she could not exceed 40 hours because of her accommodation. Weeks before her termination and still in November, Amazon hit her with two write-ups in quick succession, the complaint alleges, even though the company knew her medical restrictions limited her work pace.

In December 2025, the complaint says Amazon again scheduled her beyond 40 hours. On or about December 15, 2025, according to the filing, Amazon ended her employment on what the complaint calls a “false and pretextual basis” rather than keep her accommodations in place.

The lawsuit raises seven separate claims under both federal and New Jersey state law. On the federal side, the complaint alleges Amazon violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by discriminating against the worker because of her disability, retaliating against her for requesting accommodations, and failing to accommodate her. It also alleges Amazon violated the FMLA by retaliating against her for taking protected medical leave. Under New Jersey’s Law Against Discrimination, the complaint brings matching claims of disability discrimination, retaliation, and failure to accommodate.