It is great to see this wounded vet receive justice – and shocking that it had to come to this for him to get it.

A former Michigan soldier who lost his hand after an explosion while trying to disarm a roadside bomb in Iraq in 2004 won a $4.3 million verdict today against the U.S. Army in a disability discrimination civil case.

“He proved that the Army created a hostile work environment for him because of his disability.” said Royal Oak attorney Kevin Carlson who won the case along with attorney Joseph Golden.

The attorneys represented James McKelvey, 38, of Macomb Township, who said in a discrimination lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Detroit that a boss and coworker derided him as "the cripple, " refused to provide him with computer equipment and door handles to accommodate his disabilities, excluded him from meetings and told him to stay in his office cubicle for months on end.

He said superiors also objected to him parking in a handicapped space at the Warren tank arsenal even though he had a state permit.

Now wait – a medically retired wounded warrior received this treatment while working for the US Army? WTF? Why wasn’t something done to solve this situation?

And at this point, I have an even bigger question – are that supervisor and co-worker still on the government payroll in any capacity? If so, how long until they are terminated for cause and with no government benefits?

Posted by: Greg at 10:11 AM | Comments (9) | Add Comment
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