A United Airlines aircraft technician battling Stage 4 cancer is fighting back against the carrier after his boss called in the middle of a chemotherapy session and fired him for “taking too much time off,” according to a federal lawsuit obtained by The Independent.
In it, Hasan Syed says he continued working while undergoing treatment, and used his accrued sick leave and vacation time to cover any absences, typically taking a day or two off to recover from the debilitating effects of the chemotherapy.
Nevertheless, Syed was unceremoniously let go in a move his complaint contends violated the Americans with Disabilities Act, and caused him “significant financial harm, emotional distress, humiliation, and loss of dignity during an extremely vulnerable period of his life.”
If he had been allowed to remain on the job for just one more week, Syed would have been eligible for protections under the federal Family and Medical Leave Act, according to the complaint. Further, Syed’s union was unable to contest his termination because he had not yet reached seniority status, the complaint says.
A separate lawsuit Syed filed last August against Monsanto blames his disease on Roundup, a powerful herbicide that studies have linked to an increased risk of various cancers, including lymphoma, which the Hoffman Estates, Illinois resident says he used for three decades.
“Mr. Syed’s case is about a worker who did everything he could to keep working while fighting a serious medical condition – and was terminated instead of supported,” attorney Chad Eisenback told The Independent. “Atlas Law Center stands firmly with Mr. Syed and with every employee who faces discrimination, retaliation, or a denial of basic workplace dignity because of a medical condition or disability. No one should have to choose between their health and their livelihood, and we will continue to hold employers accountable when they do.”
A United Airlines spokesperson did not respond on Wednesday to a request for comment.
Syed was hired by United in April 2024, as a 737 controller – his responsibilities included troubleshooting any issues with an airplane’s mechanical, electrical and avionics systems, according to his complaint, filed Tuesday in Chicago federal court.
He was a dedicated employee, and always “met or exceeded performance expectations,” the complaint states.
That December, Syed began experiencing what the complaint describes as “serious health issues,” and went to the doctor to try and figure out what was wrong. In early 2025, Syed underwent a CT scan, which revealed a tumor in his nasal passage, according to the complaint. A subsequent biopsy confirmed that Syed had Stage 4 lymphoma, meaning the cancer had spread beyond the lymphatic system to other organs in his body.
Syed immediately notified his supervisor of the diagnosis, and was told to “focus on getting better,” the complaint goes on. Although Syed remained fully able to carry out the regular tasks of a 737 controller, he inquired about a temporary transfer to United’s Planning Department, which the complaint says would have been “less stressful and more manageable” while undergoing treatment.
However, although management told Syed that they would “look into it” and recommend him for the position, nothing was ever done, according to the complaint.
Throughout January, Syed went back to the doctor “numerous” times as part of the diagnostic and treatment planning process, and began chemotherapy in February, the complaint states. From that point, it says Syed worked 12-hour shifts, four days on and five days off, while taking a day or two following each chemo treatment. (Syed at one point also took a week off to be hospitalized for “anxiety-related… issues,” according to the complaint.)
Syed had not yet been at United for a full year, which would have entitled him to time off, with an elevated level of job security under the Family and Medical Leave Act, the complaint continues. Regardless, Syed continued working and “performing his job duties to the best of his ability,” despite his “medical challenges,” the complaint maintains.
“In… April 2025, while [Syed] was in the middle of a chemotherapy session, he received a phone call from his supervisor,” according to the complaint. “During that phone call, [Syed’s supervisor] told [him], ‘I’m sorry, but I have to let you go – you’re taking too much time off work.’”
The decision came just seven days before Syed’s one-year work anniversary, when he would have qualified for FMLA leave, the complaint states. It says Syed was told that he could reapply for his position “once he was better,” but he remains unemployed.
The complaint alleges that Syed was terminated “because of his disability, his need for medical treatment, and his anticipated use of job-protected medical leave,” arguing that United’s actions “illustrated a willful and/or reckless violation of the ADA.”
“As a direct and proximate result of the discrimination described above, [Syed] has suffered and continues to suffer loss of employment, loss of income, loss of employment benefits and has suffered and continues to suffer mental anguish, distress, humiliation, and loss of enjoyment of life,” according to the complaint.
A discrimination charge Syed filed with the Illinois Department of Human Rights in November and is attached to his complaint as an exhibit reveals that his treatment has been successful, and that a recent PET scan showed the cancer in remission. On December 29, Syed received a so-called right-to-sue letter from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
His lawsuit is the latest of several filed by United employees who say they have been wronged at work.
Last July, a United Airlines ramp agent in New Jersey sued over claims she faced relentless sexual harassment from her supervisor, and that her complaints only made things worse – culminating in an assignment to remove a 300-pound dead body from a plane, by herself, which left her badly injured and led to her eventual firing.
Chantel Matthews’ supervisor greeted her on her first day of work by saying, “Welcome to United. You are fine as hell,” after which things got steadily worse, her lawsuit alleged.
That same month, a senior United Airlines pilot who was disoriented and slurring his speech following a head injury sued the carrier, claiming he was wrongfully accused of being an alcoholic, forced into inpatient rehab and threatened with termination unless he admitted to an allegedly nonexistent addiction.
A third lawsuit filed at roughly the same time said United Airlines allowed racism and harassment to fester unchecked, according to an employee who says he was fired for speaking up about a white supervisor ordering a Black worker to “go fetch” a noose.
Syed is now seeking back pay with interest; front pay; liquidated damages; compensatory damages and punitive damages; plus court costs and attorneys’ fees.
