Clearbrook settles retaliatory firing lawsuit by Carpentersville man

A confidential settlement has been reached in a lawsuit filed by a Carpentersville man who argued he was fired in retaliation from Clearbrook, a nonprofit agency that serves developmentally disabled people, after he complained the agency was cutting corners on training and state requirements.

Darren Buchanan sued last year after he was fired from Mozart House in Arlington Heights, one of Clearbrook's facilities, in March 2014.

In his lawsuit seeking unspecified damages, Buchanan argued he did not receive 120 hours of state mandated training, that his supervisor merely initialed Buchanan's training work sheets and that he was fired after he questioned Clearbrook's practices.

Clearbrook provides assistance, services and support to 7,000 people and manages 35 community integrated living arrangements that are licensed by the state's Department of Human Services.

The settlement, reached earlier this month, is confidential and the lawsuit was dismissed by Judge Thomas Mueller "with prejudice," meaning it cannot be refiled in the future, according to court records.

Clearbrook's vice president of communications did not return a phone message Friday.

A message left for Buchanan's attorney, Andrew Kolb, also was not returned.

In court papers submitted before the settlement was reached, Clearbrook denied Buchanan's claims.

But Clearbrook's attorneys did acknowledge one of Buchanan's supervisors did not complete any pages of a competency checklist for Buchanan, but "denies any inference that plaintiff (Buchanan) did not receive adequate training prior to rendering care on his own," according to court records.