Ex-Raytheon Worker’s Alcoholism Discrimination Claims Preempted

Raytheon won a disability discrimination and retaliation case brought in a federal Kentucky court by a former employee who took a leave of absence for alcoholism treatment.

In throwing out the suit, US District Court for the Western District of Kentucky Judge Benjamin Beaton chastised the plaintiff for pursuing his claims under “the wrong law.”

Markeen Elliott worked for the defense contractor from 2005 to 2020 without any disciplinary issues, according to the complaint. In 2020 he complained about the lack of personal protective equipment and hand sanitizer at work, and later than year took a leave of absence to ...