Lawsuit: Restaurant Chain Forces Out Employee With HIV

An employee of a Kansas City area restaurant chain alleges in a lawsuit that he was forced out after telling a manager that he had been diagnosed with HIV.

The Kansas City Star reports that Armando Gutierrez filed the lawsuit Tuesday in federal court. It says he had been working as a serving for a year at The Big Biscuit restaurant in Overland Park, Kansas, when he approached a manager because he needed proof that he didn’t have employer-provided health insurance to be eligible for a state program that helps people with HIV.

The next day, Gutierrez was informed that he was being transferred and would begin working on Sundays, which he had been getting off because of family commitments. The lawsuit says he protested the schedule change and was fired.

The chain’s attorney didn’t respond to an email from The Associated Press seeking comment.