Never miss a story — sign up for PLANSPONSOR newsletters to keep up on the latest retirement plan benefits news.
Compliance April 27, 2005
Florida Aeronautics Company Sued by DoJ Under USERRA
April 27, 2005 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - The Department of
Justice (DoJ) has sued a Florida-based flight-training
academy on behalf of an Air Force reservist who was
supposedly fired because he had to serve in the
military.
Reported by Kip McDaniel
Gulfstream Academy of Aeronautics and several company executives have been sued by the DoJ for violating a federal law that prohibits the firing of military personnel because of their service, according to the AP. Gulfstream allegedly did just that when it fired Hugh Villalobos in May 2002 immediately after he told his employer of an upcoming five-day active duty tour with the Air Force Reserve.
“The Justice Department will defend the civilian employment rights of the men and women who work so hard to protect this country,” said Alexander Acosta, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division, in a written statement.
>The federal law under which Gulfstream is being sued is the Uniformed Services Employment and Re-employment Rights Act (USERRA). This is the fourth USERRA complaint filed on behalf of service members or veterans by the Justice Department since the Civil Rights Division received enforcement authority of USERRA in September 2004.
Earlier this month, Bridgestone settled a case in which it was accused of not advancing an employee while he was on 15-month duty in Iraq (See Feds Settle USERRA Case with Bridgestone ).