Houston Chronicle by Allie Morris Sep. 17, 2019
Le Roy Torres returned from war in Iraq with a lung disease that he says cost him his 14-year career as a Texas state trooper.
He is now suing the Department of Public Safety — alleging he was forced out after suffering a service-related illness — in a case that is testing the limits of a federal law meant to protect veterans from losing their jobs and benefits when they deploy.
The Texas Supreme Court is expected to decide within months whether the lawsuit can proceed. That ruling could determine if other service men and women can file similar anti-discrimination lawsuits against the state of Texas, where roughly one in 14 residents is a veteran.
“It's important because this is an injustice for someone who goes and serves their nation and comes back ill or wounded,†said Torres, a former captain in the U.S. Army Reserves who deployed to Iraq in 2007 and now lives in Robstown. “The department, if they can’t accommodate you, then it’s a serious issue. How do you survive?â€
More:
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/local/politics/article/Iraq-veteran-s-case-against-Texas-is-testing-14446874.php
