Opinion ID: 625925
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Exercise of a Right

Text: Illinois law recognizes several ways in which an employee may exercise a right under the IWCA. First, an employee may file a workers' compensation claim. See Kelsay, 23 Ill.Dec. 559, 384 N.E.2d at 356. Here, although Gordon eventually filed a workers' compensation claim, and thus exercised a right under the IWCA, she did not file her claim prior to her termination. Therefore, despite deposition testimony to the contrary, the filing of her claim could not have been the cause of her termination and this exercise of a right does not logically support her retaliatory discharge cause of action. But even if there has been no filing of a claim, Illinois courts recognize that the limited tort of retaliatory discharge may apply where a plaintiff is preemptively fired to prevent such a filing. See Richardson v. Ill. Bell Tel. Co., 156 Ill.App.3d 1006, 109 Ill.Dec. 513, 510 N.E.2d 134, 136-37 (1987). Factual support that the employer was informed or in some way found out about the plaintiff's intent to pursue relief under the Act is essential to a retaliatory discharge action. Roger, 21 F.3d at 149-50. The district court held that Gordon did not meet this burden because, at the time FedEx made the decision to terminate Gordon, no one knew the extent of her injuries and Gordon expected to be back to work within a day or two. In addition, Gordon never expressed an intent to file a workers' compensation claim and had not filed one previously. Although the district court relied on these facts in granting summary judgment in favor of FedEx, we need not address this issue further because Gordon's claim clearly satisfies a third approach recognized by Illinois courts. Under this third approach, an employee exercises a right under the IWCA merely by requesting and seeking medical attention. See Hinthorn v. Roland's of Bloomington, Inc., 119 Ill.2d 526, 116 Ill.Dec. 694, 519 N.E.2d 909 (1988). In Hinthorn, the Illinois Supreme Court held that the overriding purpose of the [IWCA] is to protect injured employees by ensuring the availability of medical treatment, by shifting the financial burden of such treatment to the employer. Id., 116 Ill.Dec. 694, 519 N.E.2d at 913. Requesting and seeking medical attention ... is only the crucial first step in exercising rights under the Workers' Compensation Act. Id. Thus, an employee who was told to seek other employment after she informed the vice president of the company of her back injury and intent to seek medical attention had a claim for retaliatory discharge. Id., 116 Ill.Dec. 694, 519 N.E.2d at 910-13. After Gordon sustained her injury, she reported to First and requested to go to the hospital. The following day, Gordon called the service center and informed Mallonee that she would be seeking additional medical attention from her family doctor. In light of these facts, First and Mallonee were surely aware that Gordon was actively requesting and seeking medical attention. Under Hinthorn, Gordon has met her burden of demonstrating the exercise of a right under the IWCA. Accordingly, we must determine whether Gordon can establish a causal relationship between her protected activity and termination.