NEW YORK -- A former Barclays employee who was fired from her job after her infant son was diagnosed with cancer -- a move that caused her to lose her health coverage -- has filed suit against the British bank.
In September 2012, Rachel Walsh said she contacted her boss to ask if she could return to work on a flextime basis after taking an unpaid leave of absence to care for her ailing son. The New York mother told The Huffington Post that her boss said she worried the trips to the hospital would interfere with her work.
Walsh said she then told her boss she would be willing to work any job, full-time or part-time. The next day, she said, the bank called her to say there was no position available for her at all.
But when Walsh went on the Barclays website, she said she found listings for her exact position. And when she spoke with former colleagues, some of them told her they were interviewing for her old gig.
In a statement to HuffPost, a representative for Barclays said:
[...] Ms. Walsh requested, and Barclays approved, several requests for extended leave – beyond the time periods that would be required by law. During her extended leave, Barclays provided Ms. Walsh and her family continued health coverage benefits. Thereafter, Ms. Walsh declined to return to a full-time position that the firm had available for her.
The 32-year-old mother said she started to panic because her termination meant that she would lose her health insurance, which had helped pay for her son's treatments. Walsh applied for unemployment but was denied, she said, because the agency had been told she had turned down a full-time job at Barclays.
Now Walsh has hired an attorney to bring a $10 million lawsuit against the bank, on two causes of action. The first is discrimination based on gender, because, Walsh said, "If I was a father with a child who was sick, they wouldn't be worried that I'd be able to keep up with the workload."
The second charge is breach of contract. Barclays allegedly promised Walsh job security during her leave of absence, and said it would make an effort to place her elsewhere if her original job became unavailable, according to documents provided to HuffPost by the Harman Firm, the law firm representing Walsh.
In the summer of 2011, Walsh's 7-week-old son was diagnosed with bilateral retinoblastoma, a kind of cancer that causes tumors to grow in the retina of the eye. After using up her personal and vacation days, Walsh said she was granted a one-year unpaid leave of absence by Barclays. Her health insurance continued during that time, she said.
After she was fired in September 2012, Walsh said she was able to get health insurance under COBRA (the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act), but at $1,800 every month, it wasn't easy to make the payments. Walsh also applied for Medicaid for her son in December but was denied. She said the agency told her there wasn't enough money in the budget to cover him.
Now, she said, she's applying to be accepted to another state program, "Child Health Plus."
"I didn't foresee needing to go to the state for help because I had always been independent and taken care of myself," Walsh said.
After undergoing chemotherapy and other treatments, Walsh's son's cancer is finally gone. But retinoblastoma can be a recurring cancer, and Walsh said she expects it may come back.
Barclays is an international British financial services provider that employs 140,000 people in 50 countries, according to its website.
In June, Barclays agreed to pay more than $450 million to British and U.S. authorities to settle allegations that it had manipulated interest rates including LIBOR, the London Interbank Offered Rate, according to Reuters.
In early July, Barclays announced the resignation of its CEO, Bob Diamond, and of its Chief Operating Officer, Jerry del Missier, CNN previously reported. Later that month Barclays reported that its net profits had fallen 76 percent in the first six months of the year, the New York Times notes.
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
It's Another Trump-Biden Showdown — And We Need Your Help
The Future Of Democracy Is At Stake
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
The 2024 election is heating up, and women's rights, health care, voting rights, and the very future of democracy are all at stake. Donald Trump will face Joe Biden in the most consequential vote of our time. And HuffPost will be there, covering every twist and turn. America's future hangs in the balance. Would you consider contributing to support our journalism and keep it free for all during this critical season?
HuffPost believes news should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. We rely on readers like you to help fund our work. Any contribution you can make — even as little as $2 — goes directly toward supporting the impactful journalism that we will continue to produce this year. Thank you for being part of our story.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
It's official: Donald Trump will face Joe Biden this fall in the presidential election. As we face the most consequential presidential election of our time, HuffPost is committed to bringing you up-to-date, accurate news about the 2024 race. While other outlets have retreated behind paywalls, you can trust our news will stay free.
But we can't do it without your help. Reader funding is one of the key ways we support our newsroom. Would you consider making a donation to help fund our news during this critical time? Your contributions are vital to supporting a free press.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our journalism free and accessible to all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.
Support HuffPostAlready contributed? Log in to hide these messages.