A new lawsuit accuses Harlem state Assemblyman Eddie Gibbs (D-Manhattan) of wrongfully firing a former staffer who battled a health crisis that ultimately led to the amputation of his leg.
In a lawsuit filed this week in Manhattan Supreme Court, Keith Lilly alleges that Gibbs discriminated against him by firing him while he was hospitalized for several weeks.
“I was stunned as I lay in my hospital bed listening to a member of Congress tell me he was firing me, with no explanation,” Lilly said in a statement to The Washington Post.
Lilly alleges that it fired Gibbs without explanation just one day before his doctor told him he would lose a toe to his battle with type 2 diabetes, a fight that ultimately led to him losing his foot, according to the lawsuit.
“During the darkest period of my life, I faced devastating circumstances both personally and professionally,” he said in a statement.
After winning his first term, which begins in 2022, Gibbs brought Lilly on as a senior adviser.
The progressive politician is currently facing a tough primary against Xavier Santiago, a television producer backed by Bronx Rep. Adriano Espaillat (R-NY).
Espaillat is competing in the primary against Gibbs and another political newcomer, Rep. Landon Dace (D-Bronx), in an effort to solidify the Dominican and Latino congressional base.
Former East Harlem Councilman Adam Clayton Powell IV, who knew Lilly for 30 years, said he was shocked by Gibbs’ alleged treatment of employees.
“This is horrible. Keith Lilley had health issues. He shouldn’t have had to go through this,” said Powell, who supports Santiago.
“Keith Lilley is a good guy,” he continued.
Gibbs did not respond to a request for comment Friday.
