Charlotte Wells Fargo manager sues in work-from-home case, claims rights violated
A Wells Fargo manager from suburban Charlotte is suing the bank in federal court, claiming she was penalized for wanting to work from home for serious health reasons, including lupus and an eye disease.
Beth Arbuckle had made the request as the bank began mandating return-to-work policies in 2022 in the wake of the COVID pandemic. Arbuckle, a senior finance manager with over 20 years experience at Wells Fargo, claimed the bank retaliated against her for requesting medical accommodations.
So she sued the bank in December 2024 in federal court in the Western District of North Carolina. Wells Fargo tried to get the case tossed, but in late March, a federal judge denied that request.
Arbuckle said the bank pushed her aside by moving her staff to other roles and leaving her out of meetings, according to the lawsuit. She also said a worse performance review hurt her pay.
Wells Fargo claimed that changes to Arbuckle’s team and duties were related to a broader business decision to consolidate services, according to the bank’s March 2025 response to the suit.
Wells Fargo stated it made a “good-faith effort” to comply with Americans with the Disabilities Act and the Family and Medical Leave Act while preventing discrimination in the workplace. Wells Fargo also argued that it did not violate Arbuckle’s rights.
In January, the bank asked the judge to dismiss all of Arbuckle’s claims. The bank said that after both sides exchanged evidence, there were no important factual disputes left that would require a jury to decide.
Attorneys and representatives for Arbuckle did not respond to a request for comment. Wells Fargo declined to comment on the case or Arbuckle’s employment status with the bank.
Wells Fargo cases centers around medical history, remote work
From March 2020 through 2021, Arbuckle worked remotely because of the COVID pandemic. She was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa — an eye disease that causes vision loss — and lupus, a disease where the immune system mistakenly attacks the body’s healthy tissues and organs instead of fighting germs, according to court records.
Arbuckle was living in Fort Mill, South Carolina, at the time of the filing.
In early 2022, she led a team of more than 20 people and was responsible for predicting loan needs for several major parts of the bank, according to court records.
This included corporate, commercial, wealth management and small business banking. She also focused on handling funding and cash flow, making sure the bank had enough liquidity, and overseeing treasury operations and related risk management.
The San Francisco-based bank has about 27,000 employees in the Charlotte region, its largest employment hub.
After Wells Fargo mandated a return-to-office policy in 2022 for three days a week, Arbuckle asked to work from home permanently instead of working uptown. She said her vision loss made driving dangerous, and the office lighting was also hard on her eyes.
Wells Fargo formally approved her work-from-home accommodation in June 2022, according to Arbuckle’s suit. But during the 13 weeks it took to approve her request, her name appeared weekly on a list of employees who were not adhering to the office policy.
“The Non-Compliance Report was often a topic of discussion in meetings, and an employee’s name being included on the report was generally perceived as a negative,” her lawsuit said.
Arbuckle received a mid-year “Exceeds Expectations” performance rating in July 2022, according to her lawsuit. She went on FMLA leave for an ongoing lung infection from that month to October 2022.
In January 2023, her rating was dropped to “Meets Expectations.” She claimed this was a result of her leave and led to a $22,500 compensation reduction.
Arbuckle took a second medical leave for respiratory complications from COVID from January 2024 through March 2024, according to court records.
Before filing the lawsuit, Arbuckle filed a formal charge with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The EEOC issued a Notice of Right to Sue on Sept. 13, 2024, according to the lawsuit. She is now suing the bank with claims that it violated ADA and FMLA laws.
Arbuckle is seeking compensation for lost wages and a jury trial.
Judge lets Wells Fargo case proceed in Charlotte
On March 31, U.S. Judge Frank Whitney denied the bank’s motion to dismiss the case. He wrote that Arbuckle has enough facts for her case to move forward and not be dismissed.
A jury trial is set to begin Sept. 14 in Charlotte.
