Amazon class action overview:
- Who: An Amazon employee filed a class action lawsuit against the company.
- Why: The employee alleges that Amazon punishes employees who request accommodations for disabilities.
- Where: The Amazon class action lawsuit was filed in New York federal court.
An Amazon employee has filed a class action lawsuit against the retail giant, alleging that the company punishes employees who request accommodations for disabilities.
Plaintiff Cayla Lyster filed the class action complaint against Amazon.com Services LLC on Nov. 12 in New York federal court, alleging violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the New York State Human Rights Law (NYSHRL) and the New York Labor Law (NYLL).
Lyster alleges that Amazon’s attendance policy punishes employees who are forced to stay home while waiting for disability requests to be processed, violating their legal rights.
Lyster, who has Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, a permanent genetic connective-tissue disorder, says she requested accommodations from Amazon in 2023 after her job duties changed. Despite providing medical documentation, Lyster claims Amazon delayed accommodating her requests and forced her onto unpaid leave.
She alleges Amazon punished her for missing work by deducting from her unpaid time off balance and threatening her with termination.
Amazon’s policy created a “chilling effect”, class action alleges
Plaintiffs in the class action allege that Amazon’s policy subjects employees to discipline and possible termination for requesting accommodations, creating a chilling effect on employees’ to exercise their legal rights.
The plaintiff also accuses Amazon of subjecting her to derogatory comments and inappropriate questioning about her medical condition, thus punishing her for her disability.
Lyster seeks to represent a class of all Amazon hourly employees in New York who sought or intended to seek disability accommodations from November 2022 to the present.
The lawsuit seeks injunctive relief to stop Amazon from punishing employees for requesting accommodations and to align its policies with the law. Lyster also seeks compensation for lost wages, benefits and emotional distress.
Meanwhile, customers are suing Amazon in a class action lawsuit claiming the company misled customers about their rights to digital content purchased through its Prime Video platform.
What do you think of the allegations made in this Amazon class action lawsuit? Let us know in the comments.
The plaintiff is represented by Katherine Greenberg and Shyamala Ramakrishna of A Better Balance and Maia Goodell of Vladeck, Raskin & Clark P.C.
The Amazon class action lawsuit is Lyster v. Amazon.com Services LLC, Case No. 1:25-cv-09423, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
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December 15, 2025 | Legal News
4 thoughts onClass action alleges Amazon punishes employees over disability requests
I had an experience , I had been working for Amazon a while in the summer. I had gotten a sport injury that made it painful applying pressure on my knees. The job position I had currently required using the stairs repetitively. This lead to a constant pain on my knee so I requested to be trained somewhere else until my injury had healed to my manager and HR. They requested sort of paperwork but still denied my request. As much as I still pushed through it, they still wanted me to better my speed, which I couldn’t under my circumstance. It lead me to eventually quitting since I couldn’t physically work.
I had a similar experience, I had been working for Amazon a while in the summer. I had gotten a sport injury that made it painful applying pressure on my knees. The job position I had currently required using the stairs repetitively. This lead to a constant pain on my knee so I requested to be trained somewhere else until my injury had healed to my manager and HR. They requested sort of paperwork but still denied my request. As much as I still pushed through it, they still wanted me to better my speed, which I couldn’t under my circumstance. It lead me to eventually quitting since I couldn’t physically work.
Please add me
I’m currently dealing with about the same thing I got hurt on the job that was job related. I’m having a hard time getting Worker’s Comp.. I’ve been denied even though I showed evidence. I showed evidence with an x-ray and a MRI. I’m currently not getting paid from Amazon. I miss so many days and they just stream me along. It’s like they’re really trying to get me to quit so that way they won’t be reliable for what I’m going through a lot of walking at the Amazon facility warehouse located in Mount Juliet, Tennessee is about 3.3 million square footage and I walked anywhere between 17,000 to almost 22,000 a day that’s a lot of walking and a lot of pain in my knees