'Chronic Body Odor' Lawsuit Filed By Ex-Indianapolis Employee

INDIANAPOLIS — A former courts official is suing Indianapolis, alleging she was fired after she installed air fresheners at work to combat a co-worker's body odor, Indianapolis Star reports. The news outlet reports Amber Bridges' federal lawsuit says she was fired in 2017 for creating a hostile work environment after the malodorous co-worker complained about the air fresheners, claiming Bridges' actions influenced other staff members to do the same at work. The complaint was filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana on Dec. 21, and claims that employees and staff started complaining about the coworker's "chronic body odor" in Nov. 2016, IndyStar reports.

Bridges, a former lead staff in the magistrate court, reportedly notified her supervisors about the complaints and later installed the air fresheners. IndyStar says Bridges claims her firing was unlawful according to her association with an individual with a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act, alleging the co-workers body odor is protected by the act.

According to IndyStar, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has considered body odor a disability that in some cases is protected. The commission's website reportedly claims that those associated with people who have a disability also are protected from workplace discrimination.

>> More on this case via IndyStar