Amazon employee with Crohn's disease sacked for 'excessive bathroom breaks'

A US Amazon call centre worker with Crohn's disease who was fired from his job for taking too many bathroom breaks is taking revenge on his former employer.

Nicholas Stover, who worked in one of the company's Kentucky offices, is suing Amazon for damages of at least US$3 million (NZ$4.36 million) for what he claims was a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Crohn's disease is an inflammatory bowel disease that can cause abdominal pain and bouts of diarrhoea, perhaps explaining why Mr Stover spent more time in the bathroom than other employees.

But despite Amazon allegedly being aware of his ailment when he was hired in November 2016, they still took issue with the amount of time he spent away from his desk.

Their frustration culminated in an "involuntary termination" letter notifying Mr Stover of his dismissal in December 2017.

While the letter did not provide any grounds for the sacking, a supervisor of Stover's allegedly told him that "time theft" was the rationale behind the decision.

"[The supervisor] accused Mr Stover in writing of using 'too much personal time' and later told him orally that he was engaging in 'time theft' from Amazon because of excessive bathroom breaks," an 18-page complaint filed in federal court read.

The complaint also accuses Amazon of "unyielding and inhuman policies regarding bathroom access".

Newshub.