Man sues Kansas City, alleging KC Water fired him for having “nervous tic”
A Kansas City man filed a lawsuit against the city Tuesday after he claims he was fired from KC Water for having an uncontrollable “nervous tic.”
Yousef Hazimeh is seeking actual, compensatory and punitive damages from Kansas City for all court fees, his job back at KC Water or front pay, according to a petition filed in Jackson County court.
Hazimeh began working for KC Water as a customer service representative in July 2024, according to court documents. When he was hired, Hazimeh told supervisors he had been diagnosed with anxiety, resulting in an uncontrollable nervous tic.
Court documents allege Hazimeh told a new supervisor, who started in August 2024, about his diagnosis, and informed a second new supervisor in October 2024.
Towards the end of November 2024, Hazimeh received a “letter of counseling” from his supervisors for his nervous tic, according to court documents. The supervisors allegedly told Hazimeh to “‘control’ his tic,” the petition says, despite the man previously telling them it was uncontrollable.
Hazimeh’s supervisors allegedly referred to his tic as “movements,” “outbursts,” “instances,” and “issues,” according to court documents. The petition claims the supervisors “monitored” Hazimeh’s tics and sent the man written documentation following each “episode.”
The petition claims one of the written correspondences sent to Hazimeh said, “Yousef, at 3:31 p.m., I witnessed you have another outburst that we discussed could not continue. When I delivered your letter of counsel last week, you must keep your movements in control to make sure everyone has comfortable working environment, regardless of how the call goes.”
Other messages asked Hazimeh to “control” his movements, and counted how many “movement issues” the man had throughout the day, according to court documents.
At the beginning of December 2024, Hazimeh asked a supervisor to stop sending him written documentation regarding his tics, the petition alleges.
The supervisor allegedly “refused” and continued sending the man written documentation of his tics, according to court documents.
Court documents allege that a week later, Hazimeh submitted a doctor’s note stating his tic was “harmless.”
Supervisors allegedly kept sending him notes, and asked the man’s coworkers to “observe and report” each time Hazimeh had an “episode,” according to the petition.
On Dec. 23, 2024, Hazimeh filed a discrimination and retaliation complaint with KC Water’s Equal Employment Opportunity Office, according to court documents. He was fired less than a month later.
Jackson Overstreet, public information officer for KC Water, told The Star in an email Wednesday that the organization could not comment “on legal or personnel matters.”
