By Anna Kaminski, Kansas Reflector
TOPEKA — Kansas leaders approved a $12,000 payment for a former prison employee, settling a case accusing the state corrections department of disability discrimination and retaliatory termination.
Brady Greeve worked at three state correctional facilities in a seven-year span. Months after a motorcycle accident in July 2022, he was injured at work at the Kansas Juvenile Correctional Complex in Topeka, according to Greeve’s federal lawsuit against the Kansas Department of Corrections, which oversees state prisons, the juvenile complex and corrections employees.
His motorcycle accident resulted in mental and physical injuries, including post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety diagnoses. The work injury exacerbated those injuries, said the lawsuit, which was filed in federal court in March 2025.
Greeve missed several days of work in the months that followed the incident, but his supervisors — none of whom informed him of his rights under federal and state disability, workers compensation and medical laws — negatively docked him for his attendance, the lawsuit said.
In March 2023, Greeve asked his supervisors to allow him one day off per week. His request appeared to have been approved, but less than a month later, he received a formal letter reprimanding him for his absences, the lawsuit said. Greeve was surprised, and he confronted his supervisor.
The supervisor said, “It’s not my problem,” according to the lawsuit.
Coworkers “began treating (Greeve) differently by interfering with (his) work duties, being more critical of (his) work, and refusing to adequately communicate with (him),” the lawsuit said.
The “retaliatory behavior,” the lawsuit said, “intensified and increased in frequency” after Greeve requested leave and accommodations in March 2023.
Greeve was suspended for missing work. Upon returning, he filed another request, which he understood to have been approved based on conversations with human resources staff. But in July, the corrections department notified Greeve he was being fired for attendance policy violations.
The lawsuit said the corrections department repeatedly ignored or misled Greeve, forcing him to work and, in turn, exacerbating his medical conditions and pain.
Before the lawsuit, Greeve filed complaints in December 2023 against the juvenile complex with the Kansas Human Rights Commission and the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. One year later, the employment commission notified Greeve he could sue.
Greeve alleged violations of state and federal laws related to discrimination on the basis of disability status and retaliation. Greeve initially asked for $300,000 in compensatory damages for emotional duress, lost wages, pain and suffering, and medical bills related to the duress or injury caused by the corrections department’s alleged retaliation.
Members of the State Finance Council, which includes the governor and legislative leadership, approved paying Greeve $12,000 to settle the case after a closed-door meeting. The council voted unanimously to approve the payment without revealing any of its discussion.
The money comes from the state’s tort claims fund. It is housed under the Kansas Attorney General’s Office and funded with transfers from the state general fund, which is fueled by tax dollars.
