Shuttered central Ohio biotech firm faces lawsuit from former employees over layoffs
NEW ALBANY, Ohio (WCMH) – A former employee of AmplifyBio is suing the shuttered biotechnology firm, alleging the company laid off its workers without prior notice.
The closed research firm that specialized in drug development laid off all 212 of its employees on April 4, the same day it announced its permanent closure on its website. The company had a facility in both New Albany and West Jefferson.
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A lawsuit filed by an ex-employee last week in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio claims workers were not notified of the layoffs before April 4, the day the terminations occurred. Federal law requires employers with 100 or more staff members to provide a written notice at least 60 days before a mass layoff.
The former employee who filed the suit, Taylor Freeman, also alleges that the company did not offer him any severance pay. He filed the class action complaint on behalf of himself and other workers affected by the layoffs, seeking damages amounting to back pay — or wages an employee would have earned if they were not fired — for each day AmplifyBio violated the law, 'plus benefits.'
In AmplifyBio's April closure announcement, the company said the decision came after months of 'tireless efforts' to explore all 'investment and acquisition possibilities.' The firm claimed the biotech market has seen a 'significant shift' in recent years, leading to scarce investor financing for early-stage biotech firms.
'It is with deep sadness and gratitude that we announce the closure of AmplifyBio's operations,' the company wrote.
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Battelle, a nonprofit Columbus-based research institute, partnered with investors to launch the for-profit biotech firm in 2021. AmplifyBio raised $200 million from investors, including entities such as JD Vance's venture capital fund Narya Capital and Connecticut-based Viking Global Investors.
The company launched its West Jefferson facility at 1425 Plain City-Georgesville Road in 2021, and opened its New Albany facility at 9885 Innovation Campus Way in 2023.
The biotech firm briefly drew criticism in 2022 from Rolling Stone magazine and the animal rights group PETA for its animal testing practices. The backlash came after a monkey at the company's West Jefferson facility escaped its enclosure and got stuck in lab equipment, ultimately resulting in its death, according to a United States Department of Agriculture report.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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