DETROIT — A Michigan woman is suing Huntington National Bank after she says she was fired for taking leave to be with her dying daughter.
Terri Estepp filed the lawsuit on February 3 against Huntington, where she worked for more than 28 years, according to the civil complaint.
McClatchy News reached out to Huntington National Bank for comment but did not immediately hear back.
In April 2023, Estepp’s adult daughter, Samantha Estepp, was diagnosed with breast cancer, the lawsuit said.
Samantha Estepp lived in California and Terri Estepp would take trips to see her, using her vacation time and Huntington’s Caretaker Time Off program, the civil complaint said.
Samantha Estepp’s condition worsened and in March 2024, she was hospitalized. Terri Estepp used the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) to take time off work to be with her daughter, according to the lawsuit.
Terri Estepp was on leave from March 27 to April 26, the longest she had ever taken off work, the lawsuit said. She returned to work on April 29, but as Samantha Estepp’s prognosis worsened, Terri Estepp told her boss she would need to take more leave to be with her daughter.
“I told my employer I needed to go back to my kid. She needed me, and they showed up that day and they fired me,” Estepp told WZZM.
According to the complaint, Estepp was fired that day with no explanation.
“Her boss, who was there to carry out the termination, was so overwrought with emotion she was literally sobbing and unable to explain,” the lawsuit said.
Estepp asked for clarity on why she was being fired, but said her boss just asked for her keys and told her through tears to leave the building.
Ten days after Terri Estepp was fired, Samantha Estepp died.
The lawsuit is asking for an undetermined amount in damages.
By JENNIFER GONZALEZ/Miami Herald
Jennifer Rodriguez is a McClatchy National Real-Time reporter covering the Central and Midwest regions. She joined McClatchy in 2023 after covering local news in Youngstown, Ohio, for over six years. Jennifer has made several achievements in her journalism career, including receiving the Robert R. Hare Award in English, the Emerging Leader Justice and Equality Award, the Regional Edward R. Murrow Award and the Distinguished Hispanic Ohioan Award.
