Amazon Lawsuits

Since its founding 25 years ago, Amazon has grown from a little-known online bookstore to the top e-commerce platform in the world. Known for its quick shipping, competitive pricing, and dependable customer service, it’s no mystery why the company’s valuation is approaching $1 trillion.

Yet, although it’s become a staple among consumers, there’s another side to Amazon that many of its employees can attest to: The company has a long history of treating workers poorly.

If you are a current or former Amazon employee who suffered from workplace retaliation, overtime violations, workplace discrimination, or another unfair or undue circumstance, the labor and employment attorneys at Morgan & Morgan are here to help. Here’s what you should know.

Examples of Amazon’s Mistreatment of Employees

No matter where you work, you should feel safe. Unfortunately, many Amazon workers are subject to harsh working conditions, and the company has shown a pattern of mistreating and discriminating against its employees. You might have seen some of these examples in the news:

• Warehouse employees described a mandatory 60-hour work week during the holidays, which led to frequent ambulance calls for injured coworkers.
• In the winter, warehouse workers were forced to do their jobs in sub-zero temperatures.
• Workers feared repercussions for taking bathroom breaks and potentially falling short on quotas.
• An employee with Crohn's disease, a painful inflammatory bowel condition, was fired and accused of stealing time for going to the restroom.
• Employees were expected to scan a new item every 11 seconds or risk getting fired.
• The company was accused of firing a warehouse worker out of retaliation when he criticized the company’s “robot”-like treatment of its workers.
• Amazon refused to offer a different assignment to accommodate a worker who had been injured on the job.
• Multiple women have sued the company for pregnancy discrimination.

Labor and Employment Laws

Thankfully, there are laws in place to protect workers under these types of circumstances:

• Discrimination: It’s illegal to discriminate against an employee based on their race, age, religion, sex, national origin, or disability. Examples of discrimination include denying employment based on someone’s skin color, or refusing to provide equal opportunities to employees of different religious backgrounds.
• Harassment: Workplace harassment may include threats, slurs, offensive jokes, bullying, unwelcome sexual advances, and other actions that create a hostile work environment.
• Minimum Wage and Overtime Violations: Workers have a right to earn at least minimum wage. They also have a right to overtime pay if they work more than 40 hours and are a non-exempt employee. Some employers, however, don’t abide by these laws in an effort to cut costs.
• Denying Leave of Absence: Leave of absence laws are designed to protect workers who require extended periods of time away from work.
• Workplace Retaliation: Some employers punish employees who file complaints against the company. They may retaliate by reducing the worker’s pay, demoting them, reassigning them to a less desirable role, or even excluding them from training and other essential activities.

Contact an Amazon Lawyer

As a massive multinational corporation, Amazon has deep pockets and high-priced lawyers. That’s why, if you’re looking to file an Amazon lawsuit, you need a team of highly-skilled attorneys with ample resources of their own.

At Morgan & Morgan, we understand how to protect American workers from discrimination, harassment, and other unfair working conditions. Our legal team can gather key evidence to build the strongest possible case and help you recover the compensation you deserve. To date, we have recovered more than $25 billion for our clients.

Ready to get started? Schedule a free case evaluation. Our attorneys work on a contingency fee basis, which means we get paid only if your case is successful. Contact us now.

What Mental Illnesses Are Covered by the SSA?

Social Security disability includes anxiety and anxiety-related disorders, depression, autism, intellectual disability, learning disabilities, and ADHD. In addition, the SSA might also consider other mental problems emanating from traumatic brain injuries, certain types of dementia, Alzheimer’s, and age-related memory problems.

Other covered conditions include but are not limited to schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

How Do I Prove My Anxiety to the SSA?

To qualify for Social Security disability benefits based on anxiety disorder, you must provide medical evidence that proves that you have at least one of the following:

• You experience constant irrational fear
• You have recurring unpredictable panic attacks that occur at least weekly
• You have recurring compulsions and obsessions that lead to significant distress
• You have persistence anxiety with symptoms such as apprehensive expectations, motor tension, etc

How Do I Qualify for Social Security Disability Based on Intellectual Disability?

To qualify for social security disability benefits based on intellectual disability, you or your loved one must provide medical records showing any of the following conditions:

• You need help with certain personal needs, such as using the bathroom, eating, and bathing
• You have an IQ of less than 60
• You have an IQ less than 70 combined with other mental or physical conditions limiting your ability to function in a work environment, activities of daily living, or social environments

Can I Qualify for Social Security Benefits Based on Personality Disorders? 

Yes, you might be able to qualify for Social Security benefits based on personality disorders if you can prove that the conditions prevent you from adapting to social or work situations and that the condition has caused you long-term problems. In addition, the disorder must have caused at least one of the following symptoms:

• Dependence
• Passiveness
• Autistic thinking
• Inappropriate hostility
• Aggressiveness
• Impulsive, damaging behavior
• Regular mood disturbances
• Odd thoughts or behavior

What Evidence Does the SSA Need to Evaluate a Mental Disorder?

The SSA will need different types of evidence to evaluate a mental disorder. First, they’ll need objective medical evidence from an acceptable medical source to prove that you have a medically determinable mental disorder. Secondly, they will need evidence to assess just how severe your mental illness is. To make this determination, the SSA will review the facts of your specific mental illness.

What Are Some Approved Medical Sources to Determine Mental Illnesses?

Typically, the SSA will accept evidence from medical sources such as your physician, psychologist, physician assistant, psychiatric nurse practitioners, clinical mental health counselors, licensed clinical social workers, etc.

In addition, they might also consider evidence from you and people who know you. With your permission, the agency may contact your family, friends, neighbors, caregivers, social workers, case managers, etc., to learn more about your mental illness.

How Much Does My Mental Illness Pay?

The amount you should expect from the SSA as compensation for your mental illness will depend on several factors. To begin with, to qualify as a child, you must have a disability that has lasted or is expected to last no less than 12 months. On the other hand, to qualify as an adult, you must have a disability that prevents you from working a regular job for a prolonged period.

This amount also varies depending on certain economic factors, such as the cost of living for that particular year. For example, in 2022, the maximum monthly payment is as follows:

• $841 for a qualifying individual
• $1261 for a qualifying couple (meaning both couples have a disability)
• $421 for an essential individual, mostly a caregiver

That said, the SSA will also review your assets. For instance, to qualify for social security benefits based on mental illness, you cannot have assets exceeding $2000 in value if you’re single and $3000 if married. However, it is important to note that these assets do not include things like your primary car, wedding rings, home, etc.

How Long Does It Take to Get Approved for Disability Based on Mental Illness?

It can take anywhere between three to five months to approve a disability based on mental illness. However, due to government backlogs and other unavoidable circumstances, the waiting time could be longer than usual. In addition, mistakes in your application or failure to provide enough information to prove your disability could delay your benefits. For this reason, it is always advisable to consult an experienced social security disability attorney before submitting your application.

How Can a Social Security Disability Attorney Help?

Because the Social Security application process is complex, an experienced attorney can help review your specific circumstances and provide the best possible legal advice and assistance you need to proceed. Statistically, having a Social Security disability attorney significantly increases your chances of obtaining a favorable outcome from the SSA. Such an attorney can help fill out the application on your behalf, review it for mistakes, and communicate directly with the SSA to ensure the best possible outcome.

If the SSA rejects your application, an experienced attorney can file an appeal on your behalf and build an even stronger case to prove your disability.

Where Can I Find a Good Social Security Disability Lawyer?

At Morgan and Morgan, our social security disability attorneys can fight for you or your loved one to obtain the benefits you need. The best part of working with us is that we have powerful legal resources and the experience to fight for you. All you need to do is fill out our free case evaluation form to get started.