A former Putnam County maintenance worker who was not allowed to return to work after asking to bring his certified service dog with him secured a jury verdict of about a third of a million dollars after suing for discrimination.
Ethan Hargraves, an attorney for the former employee, said the verdict "affirms that retaliating against a disabled worker for following the law carries real consequences."
The former maintenance employee, Jason Vaden, got the verdict after a four-day jury trial that began Aug. 18 in the federal courthouse in Cookeville. The jury awarded Vaden a total of $333,349.08 in back pay and damages.
An email sent Sept. 2 to Putnam County Mayor Randy Porter requesting comment on behalf of the county was not returned.
Vaden is diagnosed
with post-traumatic stress order and anxiety, according to court filings. Vaden had worked as a maintenance technician for Putnam County for eight years before receiving his service dog, a 1-year-old golden retriever named Gabe, in December 2023.
He had been on a long waiting list for a service dog, the lawsuit stated.
Before Vaden got Gabe, he told Putnam County he would be receiving a service dog and requested accommodation. After that, the county put Vaden through a series of meetings and medical visits that the lawsuit called belittling, invasive and inappropriate.
Vaden was never able to bring Gabe to work. The lawsuit said Putnam County officials told Vaden they thought he did not need a service animal and they were concerned about Vaden's ability to do his job. During a medical visit arranged by the county, the doctor "suggested that Mr. Vaden's disabilities could be fixed with medication and more trips to church," the lawsuit stated. At another, a Putnam County representative grabbed Gabe and petted him without asking and referred to Gabe as a "baby," the lawsuit said.
On Jan. 22, 2024, Vaden was placed on indefinite paid leave before he was "forced into" unpaid leave in April under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), the lawsuit stated. By the time Vaden sued on Dec. 20, 2024, he was never fired, but his job had been posted on the county website.
Vaden was represented by Ethan Hargraves and Nathan Slaymaker.
While the lawsuit didn't say how Gabe specifically helped Vaden, ADA.gov says service dogs for people with PTSD may be trained to lick their owner's hand to alert them to an oncoming panic attack, which they can detect through certain physical cues like heightened heart rate, rate of breathing or blood pressure.
Have questions about the justice system? Evan Mealins is the justice reporter for The Tennessean. Contact him with questions, tips or story ideas at emealins@tennessean.com.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Putnam Co. ordered to pay $333K for not letting worker use service dog
