Hopkins said he hurt his shoulder in 2013 while changing tires for Clint Bowyer's No. 15 car. After rehabilitation didn't help the pain from the injury, he says he asked for a workman's compensation claim. He got a cortisone shot and an MRI showed he had a torn labrum.
He then said the symptoms of his injury worsened and in April the team asked him to wait on possible surgery until it knew it made the Chase or the end of the season. He said he was fired on Aug. 6, a day before he had surgery for the shoulder injury.
He contends team officials “blacklisted” him after his surgery by falsely accusing him of stealing a pit gun used to remove lug nuts.
As a result, he lost an unpaid internship with another NASCAR Sprint Cup team and paid work with a NASCAR Truck Series team, Hopkins says in the lawsuit filed Tuesday by Charlotte employment law lawyer Joshua Van Kampen in Mecklenburg County Superior Court.
Hopkins, 28, is suing for damages, citing breach of contract, defamation, intentional interference with a contract and violation of the N.C. blacklisting statute, according to his lawsuit.
“It’s not about the money,” Hopkins told the Observer. “It’s about doing what’s right and what’s wrong and making sure this doesn’t happen to anybody else.”
He said he had mistakenly taken a team pit gun home before his surgery, believing it was his personal one.
MWR didn't comment for the story because it said it doesn't comment on pending litigation.
Bowyer missed the Chase in 2014 and finished 19th in the standings.
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Nick Bromberg is the editor of From The Marbles on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
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