Worker sues Frito-Lay for retaliation after filing workplace injury claim

For months, Figueroa kept working through the pain. An MRI in late October 2024 confirmed a torn meniscus and bone bruising in his right knee. When he brought the diagnosis to human resources in early November, he was told to file a workplace injury report. But his repeated attempts to do so were delayed by management, according to the filing. He finally completed the report on or about November 21, 2024 — and received a written warning the same day. 

The sequence that followed is where the case gets especially instructive for HR teams. 

In late December 2024, Figueroa reached out to HR about next steps for treatment and was directed to file for ADA accommodations. Then, on or about February 7, 2025, he called the workers’ compensation claim center to dispute a characterization that he had refused medical treatment. He was told his claim would be reopened. 

The next day, according to the filing, his manager and a local HR representative called him in and asked why he had contacted the claim center. The HR representative told him she would have preferred he pursue an ADA or FMLA route rather than the workers’ compensation process. 

Three days later, he was suspended. Three days after that — on or about February 14, 2025 — he was let go. The company cited false or inaccurate information and failure to timely report the injury as grounds for the termination. Figueroa denies both.