Georgia-Pacific settles wrongful termination lawsuit

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Georgia-Pacific has settled with a De Pere man who sued the company for wrongful termination.

Christopher Myrick, a former employee of the Georgia-Pacific paper mill in Green Bay, alleged in a federal lawsuit filed in March 2025 that he was wrongfully terminated for excessive absences he says were federally protected time off. The settlement, reached in March 2026, was for a confidential amount, according to court filings.

Georgia-Pacific fired Myrick during a conditionally approved period of leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act and cited protected time off as absences violating the company’s attendance policy, according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit said the company violated the Americans with Disabilities Act by failing to reasonably accommodate him and ultimately firing him because of his disabilities. It also claims Georgia-Pacific interfered with his rights under FMLA.

Georgia-Pacific denied any claims of wrongdoing in a response to the lawsuit, saying it had not engaged in discrimination and that Myrick was not entitled to any relief. Myrick had not yet reached FMLA eligibility when he took the absences, the company said.

Myrick is diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and general anxiety disorder, which he said causes him to experience manic episodes during which he’s unable to work. Myrick told the Green Bay Press Gazette last summer his termination led him to be evicted from his apartment and lose the insurance that helped him afford treatment.

Myrick said in May the settlement “ended on unfair terms” after he “ran out of money to fight.”

“This company has a history of burying people in debt,” he said.

Attorneys for Georgia-Pacific declined to comment.