In a dramatic turn of events, a long-time employee has filed a lawsuit against her former employer, alleging discrimination and wrongful termination due to her disability. Julie Harcharik initiated legal proceedings against Wells Fargo Bank, N.A., on November 27, 2024, in the Superior Court of California, County of Sacramento. The case highlights significant allegations of disability discrimination and failure to provide reasonable accommodations under both federal and state laws.
Julie Harcharik's tenure with Wells Fargo began in 1996 and spanned over two decades until her employment was terminated in June 2024. According to the complaint, Harcharik held various positions within the bank, eventually becoming a due diligence consultant in the financial crimes and risk management division. Her responsibilities included reviewing high-risk companies for compliance with regulatory policies. Despite consistently positive performance reviews throughout her career at Wells Fargo, Harcharik's health took a downturn in May 2022 when she began experiencing severe headaches and eye pain due to leaking cerebral spinal fluid. Following medical advice, she took disability leave starting June 6, 2022.
Harcharik claims that despite informing Wells Fargo about her condition and providing medical documentation supporting her ability to work part-time with accommodations such as periodic breaks to lie down, the bank failed to accommodate her needs. Instead, she alleges that Wells Fargo terminated her employment without proper notice or justification related to her disability. The complaint accuses Wells Fargo of violating the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and California's Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) by not engaging in an interactive process to explore reasonable accommodations.
The plaintiff is seeking compensatory damages for lost earnings and benefits, emotional distress caused by the alleged discrimination, punitive damages to deter similar conduct by other employers, reinstatement to her previous position on a part-time remote basis as requested in her accommodation request, as well as attorney's fees and costs associated with the lawsuit.
Representing Julie Harcharik is Melinda Jane Steuer from The Law Offices of Melinda Jane Steuer based in Sacramento. The case has been assigned Case No.: #402-0244SS at the Superior Court of California for Sacramento County.