A former executive at Books-A-Million has hired a lawyer to investigate his termination this month, saying the company objected to his service as an officer in the U.S. Navy.
Douglas Markham was fired in early September as executive vice president and chief administrative officer by the Birmingham-based operator of 258 stores in 31 states, lawyer Mark White said. Markham, White said, has been in the Navy for 25 years while pursuing a business career, and holds the rank of captain.
"We are currently investigating the facts and circumstances related to the decision of Books-A-Million to terminate our client's employment," said White, of the Birmingham firm White Arnold & Dowd. "For some time, Books-A-Million has made it known to our client that the company did not support his service to the U.S. Navy."
White said there are federal laws that prohibit employers from discriminating against workers based on military service. He said Markham has had stints on both active and reserve duty in recent periods, and is an expert in military logistics.
Attempts to reach officials with Books-A-Million were unsuccessful.
Markham has worked as the chief administrative officer at Books-A-Million since August 2009. Before that, he was the company's chief financial officer.
He was on active military duty from January 2009 through July 2009, according to company filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Before joining Books-A-Million, Markham was the financial controller for Saks Inc., the department store chain formerly based in Birmingham, working for the company for about 10 years.
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