Suit: Niles man fired for not showing Facebook, LinkedIn page

A former sales manager for a west suburban limo company is suing his former employer, claiming he was fired after refusing to show the owner his Facebook and LinkedIn accounts.

Matt Eberhardt, of Niles, was hired in September 2013 as a sales manager for Windy City Limousine Company, 188 Industrial Drive in Elmhurst, according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday in the Cook County Circuit Court.

George Jacobs, president and CEO of Windy City Limousine Company, brought Eberhardt into his office on Sept. 24, 2014, and asked to see his Facebook and LinkedIn pages, according to the suit. Jacobs also asked to see Eberhardt’s personal cellphone.

Eberhardt denied Jacobs’ request and was subsequently terminated, the lawsuit said.

Jacobs told the Sun-Times that Eberhardt’s claims are simply “not true.”

The suit claims Windy City Limousine Company violated the Right to Privacy in the Workplace Act, which was signed by former Gov. Pat Quinn in 2012.

The one-count suit claims violation of the Illinois Whistleblower Act and seeks more than $50,000 in damages.