Apple Sued By Former Employee

A former Apple store manager in Deer Park, Northbrook and Chicago is suing the company, claiming they report the dollar value of all sales transactions completed at each store without adjusting the numbers to account for customer returns.

Filed by James Bruno, the lawsuit - reported first by a Patently Apple blog - lists five counts:unlawful discrimination on account of sexual orientation, retaliatory discharge, failure to accommodate, unlawful sexual harassment and disability discrimination.

A story posted on The Glenview Lantern’s website confirmed the lawsuit.

The report states Bruno believed the practice of not reporting returns “constituted fraud and a violation of The Sarbanes Oxley Act.” He reported this to his local manager, who reportedly started a political campaign against him.

“What this means is that Apple has grossly overinflated the revenue per square foot and other sales data associated with its retail stores when reporting the company’s financial results to shareholders and prospective shareholders,” according to the suit, which also claims Bruno advised his manager at the Northbrook store - listed only as Ms. X - specifically of his concerns.

Also on Patch: Northbrook Woman To Await Trial At Home

Then, the suit claims “she ordered him to stay quiet and give her a chance to fix it.”

But just a few days later, on July 13, 2013, Bruno claims Ms. X reported falsely to two other supervisors that Bruno had quit his job and provided two weeks’ notice. When Bruno made it clear he had no intention of resigning, Ms. X allegedly threatened to fire him.

Bruno also alleges his supervisors and fellow managers “ostracized him, publicly humiliated him, illegally disclosed details about his mental health, and wasted countless hours monitoring him in a failed effort to catch him making errors.”

Specifically, the suit reads “When Mr. Bruno explicitly asked if he was going to be fired because of his disability, Ms. [X] simply stated that Mr. Bruno was going to be fired if he did not leave in two weeks.”

Bruno seeks compensatory and punitive damages.

more via Patently Apple