Dollar General Sued Over South Jersey Manager’s Dementia Claim

A lawsuit focused on employees at Cape May County Dollar General stores is making news.

A district manager for Dollar General stores in Cape May County is suing the company claiming she was fired because her boss believed she was in the early stages of dementia.

Dollar General District Manager Fired Over Claim of Dementia

According to NJ.com, former district manager Deborah Fittipaldi, 62, says she was fired in May of 2023 after Regional Director Michele Vellegas allegedly told a vendor that Fittipaldi “was beginning to show signs of dementia.”

The suit claims that Fittipaldi, who was most recently based in the Cape May Court House Dollar General store, had previously told Vellegas that her father and uncle had passed away due to Alzheimer’s and that Vellegas used that information to fire her.

Stores Were Told the District Manager Was Showing Signs of Dementia

In December, Deborah Fittipaldi filed a lawsuit in the Superior Court of Cape May County saying that the vendor told managers at five Cape May County Dollar General stores that she “was beginning to show signs of dementia" and that the story got back to her.

Manager Told Cape May Stores Were 'Weighing Down' Dollar General

Fittipaldi's lawsuit claims she took medical leave for several months in 2022 and when she returned she was told her stores were underperforming with lower sales and understaffing that was 'weighing down" Dollar General, according to NJ.com.

She also says she was excluded from meetings in early 2023 concerning the stores' performance and was fired several months later.

Lawsuit Says Claims of Dementia Were Used to Terminate the Manager

Deborah Fittipaldi's lawsuit contends that claims of dementia were used to fire her in violation of New Jersey laws concerning disability discrimination and retaliation. She wants her job back as well as lost wages, benefits, and attorney fees.

Neither Dollar General nor Michele Vellegas have made any comments on the pending lawsuit.