Former CSX employees file wrongful termination lawsuit

46 former CSX employees have filed a lawsuit against the company, alleging wrongful termination among other issues.

According to the lawsuit filed Friday, CSX fired employees as retaliation for using their health insurance, exposed their medical records, would not let them take medical leaves of absence under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and accused them of committing insurance fraud.

The 46 employees were fired in 2017, according to the lawsuit, from the CSX Huntington Locomotive Shop. The group of people includes electricians, boilermakers, carmen, communications maintainers, engineers, firemen/oilers, machine operators, machinists, painters, sheet metal workers, utility workers and welders

The lawsuit states that many of these former employees sought treatment from the same doctors in the area for a variety of issues. The doctors and the employees submitted the required paperwork to CSX. CSX ordered these individuals to have disciplinary hearings and then submitted information to the federal Railroad Retirement Board alleging the doctors were keeping these employees from working longer than was medically needed and that the timing of the injuries for which treatment was sought “is highly suspicious”.

The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia and seeks back pay among other damages.