A former driver for a prominent Ocala-based horse feed manufacturer has filed an employment discrimination lawsuit against the company, alleging he was fired after injuring his shoulder on the job and subsequently denied the opportunity to return to work on light duty.
Carl Porter filed the complaint on Jan. 21 in the Fifth Judicial Circuit Court of Marion County against Branch Logistics, LLC and Branch Properties, Inc., both doing business as Seminole Feed.
According to the lawsuit, Porter began working for the company as a driver and unloader in 2022. The complaint states that in early March 2024, Porter suffered a severe shoulder injury while lifting a heavy dolly weighing approximately 600 pounds during the course of his employment.
Porter alleges he immediately reported the injury to his supervisor and requested medical treatment. The lawsuit claims that although he was medically cleared to return to work with restrictions later that month, the defendants refused to allow him to work, stating they could not accommodate his restrictions and did not have light-duty work available.
The complaint asserts that the company failed to report the accident to their workers’ compensation carrier until May 2024, two months after the incident. Porter underwent surgery in August 2024 and was again cleared to return to work in March 2025, but the lawsuit alleges he was once again sent home under the pretext that he could not be accommodated.
Porter contends that he was subjected to disparate treatment compared to other employees. The lawsuit specifically cites another employee who was purportedly allowed to continue working in a light-duty capacity with medical restrictions, while Porter was held to a policy requiring him to be 100 percent healed before returning.
The lawsuit accuses the defendants of violating the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Florida Civil Rights Act, and the Family and Medical Leave Act. Claims include wrongful discharge, disability discrimination, failure to accommodate, and retaliation for seeking workers’ compensation benefits.
Porter alleges that as a result of the termination in June 2025, he has suffered lost wages, financial hardship, and severe emotional distress. As of this week, the company has not yet filed a response to the allegations.
Porter is seeking damages in excess of $50,000 and a trial by jury.
Seminole Feed is a long-standing Ocala company known for producing premium equine nutrition products. Established in 1934, the family-owned business operates a mill in downtown Ocala and a facility along State Road 40, distributing fixed-formula horse feeds and forage products across.