Philadelphia Employment Lawyers: Employees do not Need to Expressly Assert Rights Under the FMLA in Order to be Protected
In Raimondi v. Wyo. Cnty., an employee was granted partial summary judgment on a FMLA interference claim. No. 3:14cv1918, 2016 WL 2989067 (M.D. Pa. May 24, 2016). Debra Raimondi was the Director of Wyoming County’s 911 Center. Raimondi took a leave of absence from the 911 Center to travel to Indiana to care for her sick parents. While in Indiana, she was informed by the Commissioner’s Office that she would not be returned to her prior position and the she would be terminated unless she chose to resign. After returning to Pennsylvania and choosing not to resign, Raimondi was terminated.
In order to state an FLMA interference claim, a plaintiff must establish that establish: (1) she was an eligible employee under the FMLA; (2) the defendants were an employer subject to the FMLA’s requirements; (3) she was entitled to FMLA leave; (4) she provided notice to the defendants of her intention to take FMLA leave; and (5) she was denied benefits to which she was entitled under the FMLA. The key issue for the Court to determine was whether Raimondi had provided sufficient notice of her intention to take FMLA leave. The Court relied on Third Circuit precedent which stated, “while an employee seeking FMLA leave must state a qualifying reason for the needed leave and fulfill notice requirements, the employee does not need to expressly assert rights under the Act or even mention the FMLA.” Since the FMLA does not require an employee to specifically request FMLA leave and Raimondi provided adequate notice to her employer about the reason for her leave of absence, the Court granted her motion for partial summary judgment.
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