Executive sues after allegedly being fired while suffering from debilitating illness

An executive who was fired four days after undergoing treatment for motor neurone disease (MND) is suing his former employers.

Michael Johnson was employed by Fortress, a New York-listed investment management firm with approximately $66 billion (£50 billion) in assets under management – The Independent reports.

He worked at the company from February 2014 to September 2015 as a managing director in the asset manager’s credit team, but claims he was fired “without warning” as his symptoms started to show, just four days after he returned to work following treatment.

MND is a degenerative syndrome which affects a person’s ability to operate physically, with Johnson now wheelchair bound.