A Long Island cancer patient is suing cosmetics giant Estee Lauder for $6 million, claiming managers retaliated against him for a previous lawsuit he filed against them.
Dan Russo, 48, of Lake Grove, had previously sued Estee Lauder before reaching an out-of-court settlement in 2004, his lawyer said. But Russo claims the cosmetics powerhouse broke a deal to cover his medical bills.
Now he’s taking the company to court for allegedly refusing to honor a written promise to certify he was eligible for disability, Russo’s lawyer Fred Brewington said.
Russo, who works at Estee Lauder’s Melville facility, claims he made a tape recording of a supervisor saying the firm didn’t promote him and later fired him because “he was going to die on them,” Brewington said. Russo, who is white, joined with two other employees, both black, in an earlier racial discrimination lawsuit.
“We feel there’s really no merit to this case,” said an Estee Lauder spokeswoman.