A Florida firefighter has filed a lawsuit against a popular fast-food chain, alleging defamation and intentional interference with his employment contract. Kenneth W. Sehres Jr. lodged the complaint in the Circuit Court for the 15th Judicial District in Palm Beach County on July 16, 2024, targeting Chick-Fil-A, Inc., along with two of its employees, Emad Ayoub and Christian Dick.
The case revolves around an incident that occurred on February 14, 2024, when Sehres visited a Chick-Fil-A drive-thru located at 6060 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach. According to the complaint, after receiving his order, Sehres found himself unable to leave due to a pick-up truck blocking his way. Despite asking for assistance from the staff, including manager Emad Ayoub, he was met with dismissive responses and mockery. When he finally managed to exit the drive-thru line and asked Ayoub to dispose of his trash, he was again mocked.
Sehres alleges that following this incident, Ayoub falsely reported to the fire department that Sehres had been representing the fire department while at Chick-Fil-A and had a fire department sticker on his vehicle—claims which Sehres vehemently denies. The report led to an investigation by his employer and accusations of unbecoming conduct.
In his complaint, Sehres accuses Ayoub and Chick-Fil-A of defamation for filing what he claims were knowingly false reports about him. He asserts that these actions were intended to harm his professional reputation and subject him to disciplinary action at work. "The statement that '... as he drives around with a Fire Department sticker on his car' is knowingly false," reads part of the complaint.
Additionally, Sehres accuses both Ayoub and Christian Dick—a fellow firefighter whose wife works at the same Chick-Fil-A—of conspiring against him. He claims they fabricated details about his affiliation with the fire department in order to invoke disciplinary procedures unjustly.
Sehres is seeking actual, incidental, and consequential damages for defamation, intentional interference with contractual relations, fraud, and conspiracy. He claims these actions have caused him emotional distress, tarnished his reputation at work, led to lost time and negative information being placed in his personnel file.
Representing Sehres is attorney Neil Tygar from Delray Beach-based law firm Neil Tygar P.A.
The case under Case ID: 502024CA006640XXXAMB Div: Al.