A recent legal filing alleges that a remote worker was terminated from her job shortly after requesting medical leave, raising questions about employer obligations under federal law. The complaint was filed by Bobbie Dorn in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan on April 10, 2026, naming several Allstate Insurance Services, Inc. managers as defendants.
According to the complaint, Bobbie Dorn worked as a Claims Adjuster for Allstate Insurance Services, Inc., a national car and home insurance agency headquartered in Illinois. Dorn alleges that she was diagnosed with Meniere’s disease and began experiencing frequent episodes that led her medical team to recommend leave under the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA). On March 14, 2024, Dorn formally requested FMLA leave. Sedgwick, Allstate’s leave administrator, acknowledged receipt of her request and provided information about her leave on March 18, 2024.
The lawsuit names five individuals—Bethanne Bearden (Plaintiff’s manager), Melissa Castillo-Kent (Human Resources), Christine Slater (Senior Manager), Deborah Landeira (Human Resources Manager), and Kim Casey (Casualty Delivery Director)—all employed by Allstate at the time of the events described. Dorn asserts that after notifying her supervisors about her FMLA request, she faced immediate retaliation. The complaint states: “After receiving notice of Ms. Dorn’s request for FMLA, Defendants immediately began to retaliate against Ms. Dorn.”
Dorn describes an incident where Defendant Bearden expressed regret over Dorn’s need to take FMLA leave via a Teams message and then scheduled a one-on-one meeting to question her about reassigning a claim—a mistake Dorn says was inadvertent. Bearden subsequently reported Dorn to Human Resources for this minor error. On March 27, less than ten days after submitting her FMLA request, Dorn met with Defendant Castillo-Kent from Human Resources and was written up for both reassigning a claim and clearing a task.
Dorn objected during this meeting: “Plaintiff also told Defendant Castillo-Kent that she felt her being sent to HR on these matters was in retaliation for submitting an FLMA case/claim.” The complaint further alleges that Castillo-Kent failed to investigate these concerns before determining there was no connection between the disciplinary action and Dorn’s FMLA request.
Prior to requesting FMLA leave, Dorn had reportedly worked at Allstate for two years without any formal reprimands or performance improvement plans. She claims that no significant performance issues were raised until after she submitted her FMLA application: “At no point in time prior to Plaintiff filing for FMLA did Allstate and/or the Defendants have any performance concerns related to Ms. Dorn whatsoever that merited formally writing up Plaintiff, much less terminating her employment.”
On April 7, 2024, Dorn submitted required medical forms to effectuate her leave but was terminated just one week later on April 15, 2024—less than one month after making her initial request. She contends this termination resulted directly from seeking protected medical leave.
The lawsuit brings three counts against all named defendants: retaliation under the Family Medical Leave Act; interference with rights under the same act; and breach of duty (against all defendants except Bearden). In support of individual liability under federal law, the complaint cites relevant statutes and court decisions indicating supervisors can be held personally responsible for violations: “FMLA allows for individual liability for corporate officers, supervisors and managers.”
Dorn is seeking compensatory damages—including lost wages and benefits—as well as exemplary or punitive damages for emotional distress such as humiliation and anxiety allegedly caused by losing her job. She also requests injunctive relief prohibiting further unlawful acts by defendants.
The plaintiff is represented by attorney Thomas R. Warnicke of Bingham Farms, Michigan. A jury trial has been demanded in this matter under case number 2:26-cv-11184-LVP-Cl.
Source: 226cv11184_Bobbie_Dorn_v_Melissa_Castillo_kENT_Complaint_Eastern_District_of_Michigan.pdf
