Main Event is facing a lawsuit that alleges it took adverse action against a female sales manager for exercising her federal rights.
Main Event is an entertainment center that features bowling, video games, food, and many other activities. It is located in Platte County at 8081 NW Roanridge, Kansas City.
According to the 18-page petition for damages, Main Event allegedly retaliated against 30-year-old Tilisa Rayford by making working conditions intolerable, prompting her to leave.
Rayford, the legal documents say, was involved in a car accident on Nov. 8, 2017, which caused her to suffer severe headaches and pain in her neck and back. A chiropractor advised her to stop working because it could aggravate her existing symptoms, the lawsuit claims.
After corresponding with the human resource department, Rayford submitted paperwork requesting medical leave on an intermittent basis under the Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA). The suit alleges Rayford was eligible under the act’s terms because she had been employed for over a 12-month period and suffered from a “serious health condition.”
Intermittent FMLA leave
While Rayford was on leave on an intermittent basis, the suit says, Main Event “took away many of” her job duties and re-assigned them to other employees. With several of Rayford’s coworkers asking about her health, the suit states she was “concerned that management had been freely discussing her situation amongst her coworkers.”
Rayford allegedly told Wayne Stancil, the vice president of operations at Main Event, that she believed she was “targeted at work” due to her situation. As the lawsuit tells it, Stancil became “angry” and told Rayford to go home. She was informed that she must provide a doctor’s note to return to work, the suit says.
Back at work
Upon returning to work, Rayford gave Main Event a note from a doctor informing them that she could work full-time, but she still required time off for medical appointments, the suit says. The employer allegedly denied Rayford’s request for FMLA, requiring her to make up any time she needed off for additional medical treatment.
While Rayford was on the clock, Steve Toliver, district manager of Main Event, closely monitored her and stood in the doorway of her office, the suit alleges. On another occasion, Rayford alleges she heard a fellow employee “bragging that she had assumed extra duties.”
The suit alleges Main Event was “grooming” another employee to take over Rayford’s position.
Rayford’s last day of employment at Main Event was April 11, 2018.
According to the lawsuit, there is “a causal connection” between Rayford exercising her rights under FMLA and the alleged retaliation outlined in the legal documents. As a result of the alleged discrimination, Rayford is seeking damages for humiliation, mental anguish and pain.
The parties in the lawsuit are scheduled to appear before Platte County Circuit Court Judge Thomas Fincham on Aug. 2 at 9 a.m.
Rayford is being represented by Marc N. Middleton.