A combat veteran who was president of a Huntsville molecular diagnostics company is suing his former employer, alleging he was dismissed from his position after he disclosed having post traumatic stress disorder.

Peter Carothers, the former president of Diatherix Laboratories, filed the federal lawsuit last week in Alabama’s Northern District, alleging disability discrimination.

In February, he also filed a claim against Diaxtherix’s corporate parent, Eurofins USA.

He is seeking back pay and lost benefits, compensatory damages and other relief.

Diatherix develops advanced testing for infectious diseases.

According to the lawsuit, Carothers was president of the company from 2021 to January of this year. He was decorated for service in Afghanistan and diagnosed with a severe form of PTSD in the summer of 2024.

Carothers says he disclosed his diagnosis to the company’s senior leadership and that he was in the early stages of therapy.

He did so because of his “increasing need to carve out time for clinical visits” to the Huntsville VA medical facility.

Four days later, he was terminated on “vague performance based grounds,” the suit alleges.

“Prior to that date, Carothers had never been subjected to any verbal or written counseling much less placed on any improvement plan and had been given no indication that his job was in jeopardy,” the lawsuit states.

Attempts to contact Diatherix Laboratories for comment were not immediately successful.