EAST WENATCHEE, Wash. – A jury awarded $5 million to Brian Kniffen, a former East Wenatchee Water District employee, after he was wrongfully terminated following a job-related spinal injury.
The jury found the Water District violated state and federal disability discrimination laws by failing to accommodate Kniffen.
Lead Counsel Beth Bloom of Bloom Law stated, “Brian Kniffen was punished for getting hurt at work.”
Kniffen, who worked nearly 30 years as a utility field inspector, injured his back in 2020 while opening a stuck water main valve.
He requested accommodations such as limiting heavy lifting and manual valve-turning, which were supported by the Department of Labor & Industries.
Despite initially complying, Bloom Law said the Water District later terminated Kniffen in November 2021, citing no reasonable accommodations were available.
Bloom emphasized the Water District’s failure to purchase a $30,000 powered valve turner, which was recommended by Washington State Labor and Industries and commonly used by other utilities.
“This case was never just about me,” Kniffen said. “It was about making sure no one else gets pushed out of a job just for getting injured and asking for help.”
