The wife of a Pennsylvania man is suing his former company over the circumstances of his termination. 70 year-old Richard Clem was let go from the Case Pork Roll Company of Trenton, New Jersey in February of 2014, according to the Huffington Post.

The reasoning for Clem's termination is what is so unusual. Clem was apparently let go because of excessive flatulence. His wife Louann claims his firing was in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Clem supports the lawsuit and is taking legal action on his own through the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

Clem started working at Case Pork Roll in 2004 as a comptroller. At the time of his hire, Clem weighed 420 pounds. He would later undergo gastric bypass surgery in October 2010. While the procedure helped Clem lose about 120 pounds it also lead to some unfortunate side effects, namely "extreme gas and uncontrollable diarrhea".

According to the suit, by 2013 Clem’s gas was so bad it caused “significant disruption in the workplace”.

Louann Clem said company president Thomas Dolan repeatedly complained about Richard's flatulence. The suit alleges that Dolan made Richard work at home and made remarks like, "We cannot run an office and have visitors with the odor in the office," and "Tell Rich we are having complaints from people who have problems with the odors."

According to our sister station NJ1015, Richard Clem was then fired from Case Pork Roll on February 28, 2014.  Louann Clem quit the same day "because of the harassment and discrimination her husband faced as a result of his disability and the resulting symptoms,”

The Clems' lawyer, David Koller, suffers from obesity, which is covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act.

 

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