Worker sues John Deere, alleges firing over disability and FMLA leave

As her condition worsened, Donaldson applied for and was approved for intermittent FMLA leave in or around March 2025. She also asked for accommodations, including time off for treatment and a transfer to a less physically and mentally strenuous role within the company. According to the lawsuit, Deere never meaningfully engaged in the process of working out those accommodations. Instead, the company allegedly ignored and effectively denied her requests and began treating her disability and need for leave as a liability.

What happened next is where the case gets especially relevant for HR leaders.

On or about June 30, 2025, Donaldson applied for an internal position that would have been better suited to her condition. Her supervisor, Molly Crosby, allegedly blocked the transfer, pointing to Donaldson’s “attendance and health” as the reason. The very next day, Crosby reportedly told Donaldson, “You are allowed at your leisure to miss work” — a remark the lawsuit describes as a direct reference to her FMLA leave.

Donaldson says she raised the issue with Crosby’s supervisor, Elliot Shriver, reached out to Human Resources, and filed an internal compliance complaint. Rather than address her concerns, the company allegedly suspended her, told her it was “speaking to attorneys,” and ultimately terminated her employment on or about July 16, 2025, citing “insubordination” and “poor performance.”

Those reasons, Donaldson alleges, were pretextual. She says she had no prior disciplinary record and had recently received a high-tier performance evaluation.