PALM BEACH COUNTY, FL (Boca Post) (Copyright © 2026) — A former Palm Beach County employee has filed a civil complaint in circuit court claiming the county unlawfully fired him after he raised concerns about an internal workplace directive and participated in a Human Resources investigation.
The case, Abu Sufiyan v. Palm Beach County, was filed April 7, 2026, in the Circuit Court of the 15th Judicial Circuit in and for Palm Beach County, Florida, under Case No. 502026CA003943XXXAMB. The complaint was filed by attorney Isidro M. Garcia of Garcia Law Firm, P.A., on behalf of Sufiyan. No defense law firm is identified in the complaint.
According to the verified complaint, Sufiyan worked as a buyer in Palm Beach County’s Purchasing Department and says he was terminated on Oct. 10, 2025. He alleges the firing violated the Florida Public Sector Whistleblower Act, Section 112.3187, Florida Statutes. The lawsuit states the county is a political subdivision of the state with offices at 301 North Olive Avenue in West Palm Beach.
Sufiyan claims the dispute began after a Sept. 11, 2025 department-wide email announced that exempt employees could begin work at 7 a.m. while non-exempt employees could not enter until 7:30 a.m. According to the complaint, he believed the directive conflicted with county policy and created unfair working conditions because it was based on classification status rather than job duties or operational needs. The complaint says he emailed his supervisor the next day to report the issue and later contacted other supervisors and Human Resources seeking clarification about flex-time, start and end times, and whether some employees were being treated differently.
The complaint says Sufiyan then met on Sept. 25, 2025, with Human Resources and his supervisor as part of an investigation into his earlier email. During that meeting, he allegedly reiterated that he wanted the policy applied fairly. The suit claims management later sent a department-wide email announcing the directive had been suspended immediately. It further alleges Human Resources later told him the flex-time directive did not exist in writing and that leadership was making changes.
Three days later, on Oct. 10, 2025, Sufiyan says he was terminated without explanation. The complaint alleges that before the firing, several managers interrupted a conversation between him and his supervisor and raised their voices while he remained calm and tried to keep the exchange professional. After returning from lunch, he says he was told he was terminated.
The lawsuit also claims that after his firing, an email written by a co-worker, Dimitri Cason, circulated alleging Sufiyan returned to the office and assaulted him. Sufiyan denies that allegation in the complaint and claims he had no interaction with Cason that day. He further alleges Palm Beach County accepted the accusation as fact even though, according to the complaint, no video evidence was provided. The suit also says he has repeatedly been denied a name-clearing hearing and has since had difficulty finding new employment.
Sufiyan claims the county retaliated against him for making protected disclosures and for participating in an investigation. He is seeking damages exceeding $75,000, along with lost wages and benefits, compensatory damages, attorney’s fees and costs, and other relief including reinstatement or front pay, prejudgment interest, and declaratory relief. He also demanded a jury trial. These allegations have not been proven in court.
The original complaint, Abu Sufiyan v. Palm Beach County, Case No. 502026CA003943XXXAMB, as filed April 7, 2026, with the Palm Beach County Clerk of Court, can be viewed here.
More Boca Raton lawsuits and civil court filings are reported daily by Boca Post’s legal desk.
