A recent lawsuit claims that an employer took adverse actions against a long-serving worker after he took family and medical leave to care for his son with a serious illness and to address his own mental health needs. The suit alleges that these actions included stripping the employee of job responsibilities, issuing negative performance reviews, stalling compensation, restricting remote work arrangements, and ultimately terminating his employment while he was on approved medical leave.
The complaint was filed by JD Hudgens in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York on March 5, 2026. The defendant named in the case is Bloomberg LP.
According to the filing, Hudgens worked at Bloomberg for nearly ten years—first as a consultant beginning around 2013 and then as a full-time employee from about 2017 onward. He most recently held the position of Senior Software Engineer on the Visual Analytics Workflows Integrations team. The complaint states that prior to 2021, Hudgens had been recognized for his contributions and had received positive annual performance reviews. Colleagues and leadership regularly praised his work; at one point in 2021, Michael Bloomberg personally commended him for his technical expertise.
Hudgens’s son suffers from a rare liver condition requiring repeated hospitalizations and two attempted transplants. Between 2021 and 2025, Hudgens took four leaves of absence: two were family leaves to care for his son during medical crises, while two others were for Hudgens’s own mental health needs. Each time he returned from leave, Hudgens alleges that Bloomberg removed key job responsibilities from him. For example, after returning from his first leave in early 2022, responsibilities as chief architect were reassigned to another employee whom Hudgens had trained. Following subsequent leaves in 2023 and 2024, he was further demoted—from leading technical initiatives to overseeing client support tickets (a role described in the field as having limited growth potential), then eventually to what was described as a more junior engineering position.
The complaint also outlines alleged changes in performance feedback over time. While reviews before his leaves were positive—describing him as a “key developer” with strong leadership skills—reviews after each leave became increasingly critical. In particular, after his third protected leave in 2024, Hudgens received what he describes as an unjustifiably harsh review accusing him of failing to meet goals related to process documentation despite evidence of significant progress.
Hudgens further claims that compensation increases stalled after taking protected leave: bonuses increased steadily by four to seven percent per year before his first leave but rose by only one percent or less—or not at all—in subsequent years.
Remote work arrangements also became contentious. Prior to taking family-related leave in 2019, Hudgens was allowed flexibility to work part-time from Georgia due to family needs. However, when requesting similar accommodations after subsequent leaves—including requests directly tied to caring for his son—the company denied or ignored them without explanation.
After experiencing what he describes as escalating retaliation—including being told by management not to assist junior colleagues because he was “just an Engineer”—Hudgens submitted complaints internally through Human Resources on March 21, 2025 and again via counsel on April 23, 2025. According to the filing, these complaints resulted in no remedial action; instead, negative feedback continued or intensified.
On June 5, 2025 Hudgens filed a Charge of Discrimination with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), alleging associational discrimination based on his son’s disability among other claims. In the months following this filing—and while still employed—he reports receiving formal discipline for the first time during his tenure at Bloomberg: verbal warnings about performance issues he contends were outside of his control or based on shifting expectations set by supervisors.
In September 2025 Hudgens began another period of medical leave due to mental health concerns exacerbated by developments in his son’s condition. While still out on approved leave—and just weeks after submitting paperwork requesting remote work accommodations upon return—he was informed by manager Antuan Byalik on December 4 that he would be terminated effective December 8 (the day he was scheduled to return). Byalik cited performance reasons but acknowledged Hudgens’s circumstances when delivering notice of termination.
The lawsuit brings multiple causes of action against Bloomberg LP under federal law (including the Americans with Disabilities Act), New York State Human Rights Law, New York City Human Rights Law, Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), and New York Labor Law regarding lawful absences. It alleges both direct discrimination based on disability (his own or association with a disabled person) and retaliation for engaging in protected activities such as requesting accommodations or complaining about alleged mistreatment.
Hudgens seeks injunctive relief barring further violations; declaratory judgments recognizing unlawful conduct; compensatory damages including lost wages and benefits; liquidated damages under FMLA and labor law; punitive damages; attorneys’ fees; interest; damages related to adverse tax consequences stemming from any award; reinstatement or placement into a position reflecting what would have occurred absent discriminatory acts; and any other relief deemed appropriate by the court.
The case is represented by attorney Emily Bass of Vladeck, Raskin & Clark P.C., located at 111 Broadway Suite 1505 in New York City. The case identification number is Case No. 1:26-cv-01829.
Source: 126cv01829_Jordan_Hudgens_v_Bloomberg_Complaint_Southern_District_of_New_York.pdf
