West Village Man Claims He Was Fired Because He's HIV Positive

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A West Village man is suing his former employer for wrongful termination claiming that he was fired because he is HIV positive.

Jeffrey Villacampa, the former finance manager at Bayside Volkswagen, said he went to talk to his boss about using gay slurs in the office.

During the conversation, his boss told Villacampa that he has no contact with his brother because he is HIV positive.

Villacampa said he then told his boss that he is HIV positive and that there's nothing to worry about.

"He looked at me and he said, 'Are you HIV positive?' and I said, 'Yes, and it's okay, there's nothing to be afraid of, there's medication now, we can live a normal life,'" Villacampa said.

Two days later, Villacampa claims he was fired without notice.

Now, he has decided to fight the termination and file a lawsuit.

"I didn't go looking for this fight, it found me," Villacampa told 1010 WINS. "I'm not going to run away."

Villacampa said he is shocked that there is still a lot of misunderstanding when it comes to HIV.

"I can't even believe that I have to have this conversation in 2013," Villacampa said. "A conversation has to start, it has to stop with the fear and the hatred and the ignorance."

A call to Bayside Volkswagen has not been returned.

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