Charlotte Wells Fargo manager resolves return-to-work lawsuit against the bank
A Wells Fargo manager from the Charlotte region is dropping her federal lawsuit against the bank after claiming she was penalized for wanting to work from home for health reasons.
Read more John Mellencamp proves the songs — and the stories — still matter in Charlotte
Beth Arbuckle and Wells Fargo agreed to dismiss the December 2024 case filed in federal court for the Western District of North Carolina, according to a joint stipulation filed Friday.
Additional details were not presented in the new filing. Lawyers for both sides did not respond to requests for comment from The Charlotte Observer, and Wells Fargo declined to comment.
The case centered on Arbuckle’s medical history and the bank’s remote work policies, The Observer previously reported.
Arbuckle worked remotely from home from March 2020 through 2021 because of the COVID pandemic. She has been diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, an eye disease that causes vision loss, and lupus, a disease where the immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissues and organs instead of fighting germs, according to court records.
In 2022, when the bank started requiring employees to return to the office as COVID-era restrictions eased, Arbuckle requested to continue working from home instead of commuting to uptown Charlotte.
Arbuckle, a senior finance manager who spent more than 20 years at Wells Fargo, said the bank retaliated against her after she asked for medical accommodations. The bank denied the charges.
Based in San Francisco, Wells Fargo employs about 27,000 people in the Charlotte region, making the city its largest hub.
After the bank rolled out a three-day-a-week return-to-office policy in 2022, Arbuckle asked to work from home full-time, saying her vision loss made driving unsafe and office lighting strained her eyes.
Wells Fargo approved the accommodation in June 2022.
However, during the 13 weeks the request was under review, her name appeared weekly on a list of employees flagged for failing to follow the return-to-work policy, according to her lawsuit.
Court records show that in early 2022, Arbuckle managed a team of more than 20 and helped forecast loan demand across major sectors of the bank, including corporate, commercial, wealth management and small-business banking. She oversaw funding and cash-flow planning to ensure adequate liquidity, along with treasury operations and related risk management.
Read more Silfab Solar warns York County: Forcing us to move could have ‘chilling effect’
Arbuckle received an “Exceeds Expectations” midyear performance rating in July 2022, according to her lawsuit. That same month, she took FMLA leave for a persistent lung infection and was out until October 2022.
In January 2023, her rating was lowered to “Meets Expectations” — a change she said was tied to her leave and resulted in a $22,500 pay cut. Court records indicate she later took additional medical leave from January through March 2024 due to COVID-related respiratory complications.
Arbuckle claimed the bank attempted to sideline her by reassigning her staff, excluding her from meetings and reducing her pay through lower performance reviews.
The bank argued that changes to her team and duties were part of a broader business decision to consolidate services, according to Wells Fargo’s March 2025 response to the suit.
Before filing the lawsuit, Arbuckle submitted a formal charge with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The EEOC issued a Notice of Right to Sue on Sept. 13, 2024.
She subsequently sued the bank, alleging violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act and Family and Medical Leave Act. She lived in Fort Mill, South Carolina, at the time of filing.
Wells Fargo stated that it made a “good-faith effort” to comply with the ADA and FMLA laws while preventing workplace discrimination, and asserting that it did not violate her rights, the Observer previously reported. In January, the bank asked the judge to throw out Arbuckle’s claims, arguing that evidence exchanged by both sides showed no key factual disputes requiring a jury to resolve.
In March, a federal judge denied Wells Fargo’s motion to dismiss the case, ruling that Arbuckle had presented sufficient facts for the matter to move forward.
Before the case was dropped on July 24, Arbuckle was seeking compensation for lost wages and a jury trial, which had previously been set for mid-September in Charlotte.
Read more Major Charlotte developer lays off 15% of its workforce as housing market slows
