HeiTech Employee Fired Following Medical Leave to Get Bias Trial

Federal contractor HeiTech Services Inc. may have violated disability discrimination and medical leave laws when it fired a worker upon his return from time off for stress and related issues, allegedly because his job was eliminated, the Northern District of California ruled.

The elimination of Henry Ocampo’s position was the result of its renegotiated contract with the Department of Health and Human Service’s Office of Minority Health, HeiTech said. But a jury could find that explanation was a pretext for bias and retaliation, the court said Wednesday.

Ocampo’s job as a capacity building specialist was partly funded by a minority ...