A chauffeur who served Sweden's ambassador to the United Nations has filed a lawsuit against the Swedish Mission for alleged ill treatment against him.
Carlos Figueroa, a 52-year old Bronx native, filed a $1.7 million lawsuit against the mission in the Manhattan Supreme Court on Wednesday, saying he was hurt on the job and was also discriminated by his superiors, according to a report on the New York Post.
Figueroa, who first worked as a driver and clerk for the Swedish Mission in 2006, said that his Puerto Rican heritage made him a subject of discrimination as he was being repeatedly accused of stealing. As per the court documents, he was also told that Spanish people are "loud" and "smoke pot".
But the incident that eventually triggered the lawsuit was one that happened in May 2012. The New York Daily News recounted that Figueroa was assigned to go to an IKEA store in Elizabeth, N.J., to pick out a wardrobe cabinet that would be set up in the residence of the Swedish Ambassador to the UN.
After the item was delivered, which was not fully assembled yet, Figueroa was ordered to build it himself, even though the instructions said it requires two people. He requested for help but was denied since he was reportedly told that it was cheaper to just have him do it.
After 3 days of trying to assemble the cabinet, he fell from a 5-foot ladder trying to hang the wardrobe's sliding doors, severely injuring his back and legs. He claimed he had to have back surgery and take lengthy medical leaves as a result but the Swedish mission did not offer any assistance.
The Daily Mail reported that the mission reportedly tried to get Figueroa to lie about the nature of the injury so as to avoid an uninsured Workers Compensation claim.
So far, the Swedish Mission has not made any comment in response to the lawsuit as it was closed during the holidays.
