A recently filed federal lawsuit alleges that an employee was treated unfairly at work due to his disability and use of medical leave, ultimately leading to his termination following a company reorganization. The complaint was submitted by Michael Williams in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia on March 27, 2026, naming Workday, Inc. as the defendant.
According to court documents, Williams claims that Workday violated both the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) by discriminating against him because of his mental health conditions and retaliating after he took protected medical leave. The complaint states that “Workday unlawfully treated Mr. Williams differently because of his disability and protected medical leave, limited his work opportunities because of his health and prior leave, and then selected him for termination during a purported ‘reorganization.'”
Williams began working at Workday on or about January 30, 2023 as a Principal Copywriter in Atlanta, Georgia. He asserts that he performed successfully throughout his employment, receiving maximum bonuses as recently as October 24, 2025. His base salary at the time of termination was approximately $175,910 with additional equity compensation. Williams is identified in the filing as a U.S. Army veteran who has been open about living with severe recurrent major depressive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
The legal dispute centers around events following Williams’ return from FMLA-protected medical leave taken in June 2025 for intensive treatment related to his disabilities. After returning part-time on September 29, 2025 with an approved accommodation—and resuming full-time work on November 3—Williams alleges that management was aware of both his condition and need for accommodations.
On October 29, 2025, Williams’ manager Audra Tan conducted a career check-in meeting where she reportedly told him “because he had been out on leave and because of his health,” she could not trust he would be “around” to handle longer-term projects. Similar statements were entered into Workday’s human resources system: “Due to your health issues and leave of absence, you haven’t really had a chance to lead any significant initiatives in Q3—this has reduced the impact you were able to make on the business as a Principal Writer.” Williams documented this interaction in a personal note emailed to himself on November 4.
The complaint contends that these remarks linked Williams’ health status directly to negative evaluations of his performance and future opportunities within the company. It further alleges that after returning from leave—with management aware of both his situation and protected status—he was given fewer chances to lead significant initiatives based on assumptions about his availability.
On December 9, 2025, just weeks after these discussions were recorded in HR files, Workday terminated Williams’ employment citing a “reorganization.” The lawsuit argues this reason was pretextual given its timing relative to earlier comments about health-related concerns affecting job assignments.
Williams claims that “Defendant interfered with Plaintiff’s rights under the FMLA by counting his protected leave against him” when making decisions about assignments and ultimately terminating him. He also asserts retaliation for exercising rights under both ADA and FMLA statutes.
The legal filing seeks several forms of relief: back pay including lost wages and benefits; compensatory damages for emotional pain; front pay for lost future earnings; punitive damages; liquidated damages under FMLA; attorneys’ fees; costs; interest; declaratory judgments regarding violations; permanent injunctions against future violations; and any other relief deemed just by the court.
The case is being handled by attorney Jackie Lee of Lee Meier Burke in Atlanta (Georgia Bar No. 419196). The civil action file number is Case 1:26-cv-01667-MLB-RGV.
Source: 126cv01667_Michael_Williams_v_Worday_Complaint_Northern_District_of_Georgia.pdf
