BATON ROUGE, La. – A former ExxonMobil employee claims the company discriminated against and eventually terminated his employment on the basis of his disability, national origin and religion.
Plaintiff Nawaf Awad filed his lawsuit March 3 against defendant Exxon Mobil Corporation in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana. He alleges the oil giant violated the federal Civil Rights Act.
Awad, a Muslim of Middle Eastern descent, suffers from bipolar disorder. He was employed by ExxonMobil for about five years, as an applications engineer.
“As a direct and proximate result of the harassment, hostile environment, discriminatory actions, and continuing violations he was subjected to and described in this complaint, Mr. Awad suffered and continues to suffer loss of employment, concomitant with a significant loss of pay and benefits,” his 15-page complaint states.
On Nov. 6, 2023, Awad claims he took a day off work, with his employer’s permission, to address mental health issues he was experiencing. He claims at the time he was unable to sleep and was suffering from increased stress due to the war in Gaza.
The day after, he submitted a proposal to Human Resources for creating a local Advancing Middle Easterners and North Africans, or AMENDA, group and having it designated as an Employee Resource Group, or ERG, at ExxonMobil.
“ExxonMobil had recognized AMENA chapters at other sites, primarily the Spring Campus and various European locations, but past efforts to form a group at the Baton Rouge site had failed,” his filing states.
Soon after, one of his supervisors, Greg Robertson, went to Awad’s house to discuss the AMENA proposal. Robertson allegedly suggested that Awad’s intensity in advocating for the AMENA proposal was “out of character” and he should seek mental health treatment.
However, Awad was warned that taking mental health sick days would hurt his career. And if he would seek medical care, Awad should not notify ExxonMobil.
After the meeting with Robertson, Awad sought treatment at the Baton Rouge General Hospital Ascension Emergency Room. He was later transferred, on an involuntary basis, to the Baton Rouge General Hospital, where he was hospitalized from Nov. 8-15, 2023. During this time, Awad was diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
Bipolar disorder, formerly called manic depression, is a mental health mood disorder that causes extreme mood swings, including emotional highs or mania, and lows or depression.
Upon discharge, Awad contacted his direct supervisor; he was informed he needed to contact ExxonMobil’s medical department.
“Shortly thereafter, Mr. Awad contacted the medical department and learned, for the first time, that because of his hospitalization he had been placed on involuntary short-term disability leave from November 8, 2023 to February 22, 2024,” his filing states.
“ExxonMobil’s decision to place Mr. Awad on short-term disability leave was not based on medical evidence. Rather it was based on prejudice and unwarranted assumptions regarding Mr. Awad’s capacity to do his job notwithstanding his mental health diagnosis.”
Awad alleges that after his hospitalization in November 2023, Robertson told several of Awad’s colleagues that although Awad was on an “incredible trajectory” prior to his hospitalization, as a result of his hospitalization and mental health diagnosis, he deemed him to [be] a “flight risk” and “damaged goods” – stereotypes commonly associated with bipolar disability and other mental illnesses, Awad points out.
Awad was eventually cleared to return to work by his nurse practitioner in Baton Rouge. However, he alleges ExxonMobil imposed a series of “unnecessary and discriminatory” barriers to his return to work on Feb. 22, 2024.
“On February 21, 2024, the day before Mr. Awad was scheduled to return to work, Mr. Robertson indicated to him that while the team was looking forward to his return, given his absences, hospitalization and involuntary leave, he needed to rebuild trust with his colleagues,” the complaint states.
Awad claims he worked hard to resume his job responsibilities after returning from sick leave, but was “continuously harassed and retaliated against” by his supervisors and some fellow employees due to his mental health and advocacy on behalf of the Palestinian people.
In fact, he was eventually put on a Performance Improvement Plan, or PIP, for “behavioral issues.” Also, his performance rating dropped from a consistent “very good” to “needs significant improvement,” according to his filing.
He claims both were a result of his bipolar condition, disability leave, and advocacy – not because of his quality of work.
In November 2024, Awad was informed he was fired on the grounds that his bipolar disorder
and work related to the AMENA proposal “showed he was untrustworthy and unable to earn the trust of his work colleagues,” the filing states.
His termination was less than two weeks from the vesting of his pension retirement benefit, Awad noted. As a result, he lost this benefit entirely, he claims.
In September 2025, Awad filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, or EEOC. In December 2025, the commission issued a right to sue letter.
He seeks back pay, front pay, compensatory damages, and attorney’s fees.
The Law Office of Ronald K. Lospennato in New Orleans is representing Awad in the action.
