Man fired while at emergency room sues

CINCINNATI, Aug. 23 (UPI) -- An Ohio man has sued his former employer, saying he was fired after a co-worker took him to an emergency room when he admitted contemplating suicide.

The man, identified as "John Doe," was director of business development at Knowledgeworks, an education non-profit in the Cincinnati area, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported. In a lawsuit filed Friday in Hamilton County, he said Knowledgeworks was aware of his problem with depression.

In court papers, the man said he went to a park in April with a gun, intending to commit suicide. But he thought better of it and drove to his office where he asked two co-workers for help.

One of the co-workers drove him to the emergency room. While he was at the hospital, Patty Conley, Knowledgeworks' chief operating officer, called his wife and told her he had been dismissed, the lawsuit said.

The suit seeks to have the man restored to his job with back pay and compensatory and punitive damages.