GAINESVILLE, Fla. – A Florida woman claims Dollar General wrongly demoted her, reduced her hours, and ultimately terminated her employment due to her disabilities.
Plaintiff Catalina Honey Alston filed her lawsuit earlier this month in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida, Gainesville Division.
The named defendant is Dolgencorp LLC, the wholly-owned subsidiary and primary operating company for discount chain Dollar General Corporation.
In her five-page complaint, Alston claims Dolgencorp violated the federal Americans with Disabilities Act, or ADA, and the state’s Whistleblower Protection Act.
The ADA is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination based on disability in various areas of life, including employment and transportation.
“The reason Defendant demoted Plaintiff from assistant store manager and then reduced her hours was because Plaintiff was disabled and/or because Defendant regarded Plaintiff as being disabled,” the filing states. “As the actual, proximate, and legal result of Defendant’s discrimination, Plaintiff suffered emotional distress, lost wages and humiliation.”
Alston, an Alachua County resident who worked at a store in Archer, Florida, alleges Dolgencorp “drastically reduced” her hours in an effort to force her to quit and then terminated her employment after she filed not just one but two complaints with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, or OSHA.
“Plaintiff was qualified to perform her jobs with Defendant, despite her disabilities, which included osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia, chronic irritable bowel syndrome, SIBO [Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth], and pelvic floor dysfunction disorder,” her complaint states, adding that some of her medical conditions impaired her ability to walk, stand, and climb.
Alston was hired in June 2020 to work as a cashier, but quickly – just two weeks later – was promoted to the position of key holder. About two months later, she was promoted again, to assistant store manager.
Things changed in 2024 when Kaela Kraft became district manager over her store, Alston contends.
Kraft allegedly demoted Alston “several times” between January 2025 and her termination on Aug. 26, 2025.
“Upon information and belief, the first demotion was based on Plaintiff’s disability as Ms. Kraft told Plaintiff in November 2024 that Plaintiff should agree to be demoted so she would not have to be observed by Customers,” the filing states.
Alston also claims Dolgencorp reduced her hours – from 40-60 hours a week to just four to eight hours a week – after she filed her first complaint with OSHA.
She alleges her store had a rat infestation and hazardous conditions caused by overstocked products.
She seeks nominal damages, unpaid wages and benefits, pre- and post-judgment interest, punitive damages, and attorney’s fees.
The Law Office of Matthew Birk in Gainesville is representing Alston in the lawsuit.
