Director Accuses Digital Realty of Bias After Tragedy, Assault

A Digital Realty Trust Inc. safety and health director says he was made to work while recovering from his father-in-law’s murder and a subsequent violent assault, and then fired without cause while on leave.

The mistreatment violated Thomas Barnard’s rights under federal and state disability discrimination laws, the US District Court for the Northern District of Texas lawsuit says. The murder and later assault while Barnard was on work travel in Portland, Ore., both occurred in 2024, after he’d been in his senior leadership role for more than three years.

He sustained head trauma, brain bleeding, and was rendered unconscious ...