A mother in Michigan has sued the bank where she worked for more than a quarter of a century and claims that they have fired her for taking leave to take care of her dying daughter.
Terri Estepp, 51, said she was fired from her job at the Howell Howell branch of Huntington, only 10 days before her adult daughter, Samantha, died of breast cancer in 2024.
The Estepp lawsuit claimed that she was trying to take the free time to be with Samantha through the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA), but the bank fired her instead.
FMLA is a law that requires covered employers to offer employees 12 weeks of working protection, unpaid leave for qualified medical and family reasons.
Her lawyers argued that Estepp was a decorated and dedicated employee who had been taken revenge for trying to use FMLA.
The daughter of Estepp, Samantha, 31, lived in California when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in April 2023.
The deeply sad mother used all her own vacation time and Huntington's C his off -program to travel to California and to be at Samantha for her treatment.
Samantha's condition, however, deteriorated and she was admitted to the hospital. Estepp said she used FMLA time for four weeks to take care of her daughter from 27 March to 2 April 2024.
Terri Estepp (left), 51, said she was fired from her work because she was fired only 10 days before her adult daughter, Samantha (right), died of breast cancer
Estepp had worked at the Howell branch of Huntington National Bank for almost 30 years before it was abruptly dismissed
“Once the dedicated employee, Mrs. Estepp made the decision to go back to work and was back on her desk on Monday April 29, 2024,” said the court case.
“But Sam's prognosis deteriorated again, so she called her mother and asked her to return to California.”
On April 30, Estepp said that she communicated to her district manager, Michelle Powers, that she still needed more FMLA leave to take care of her daughter.
Estepp, who worked for the bank for almost 30 years, was abruptly fired later that day, according to the court case. She asked for the termination for a reason, but claimed that she never received one.
“I told my employer that I had to go back to my child. She needed me, and they showed up that day and she fired me, “Estepp WZZM told.
“I was in full shock. I wasn't ready for something like that. I asked for medical leave or Family Medical Leave Act.
'My previous boss had recommended that I do that, in case I had to take all the mocking free time to take care of my daughter. Within ten days when they let me go, my daughter died. '
Her lawyers claimed that Estepp was a decorated employee who was wrongly terminated.
“During her service, she was consistently recognized as a top performance, rightly so, because she fully devoted herself to her work,” said the court case.
Her lawyer argued that Estepp (photo) was a decorated and dedicated employee who had been taken revenge for trying to use FMLA
The daughter of Estepp, Samantha (photo), 31, lived in California when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in April 2023
The deeply sad mother used all her own vacation time and Huntington's C his off -program to travel to California and to be at Samantha for her treatment
'Her workforce is filled with decades of performance assessments that refer to its own performance, as well as' the success of [her] Branch “and her ability to bring out the success of her colleagues.” '
Her lawsuit is looking for a non -specific amount of lighting for economic damage, compensation and lawyers for the FMLA violations.
'[Huntington] ignored the mandates of the FMLA and wrongly denied [Estepp] FMLA benefits, “the lawsuit explained.
'[The bank’s] Unlawful denials of FMLA are intentional FMLA violations that have been committed in bad faith.
'Huntington is a refined company that is well aware of its duties under the FMLA. It failed and refused to honor those obligations. '
Huntington National Bank denied that the claim that Estepp was fired for the use of FMLA, insistently that her termination was for another case.
“We were sad to learn about the death of her daughter and grant our participation to Mrs. Estepp and her family,” a bank spokesperson told DailyMail.com.
'Although Huntington Bank does not comment on active lawsuits, we are dedicated to complying with all labor laws, including the Family and Medical Leave Act, and we have fitted in this matter.
'Madam. The departure of Estepp from Huntington Bank was not related to an FMLA leave. '
