EMPLOYEE FIRED AFTER SUFFERING STROKE GETS $55,000
In mid-January, Cash Depot – an ATM service provider based out of Green Bay, Wisconsin -- settled a federal disability lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) for $55,000.
Apparently, after its field service technician was hospitalized for a stroke, the company placed the employee on a leave of absence and promised to hold his position until his return. But, in actuality, he was replaced by another tech, and eventually fired.
Believing that such conduct violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the EEOC filed suit on Sept. 28, 2020, in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Cash Depot, LTD, Case No. 4:20-cv-03343), seeking monetary damages and injunctive relief.
In addition to the recently announced cash payment, the company has agreed to modify its employment-related policies and practices to comport with federal law. (The company is also required to post an ADA notice at all its locations.)
In a written statement, Rudy Sustaita, regional attorney for the EEOC’s Houston District Office, noted that “The ADA clearly protects individuals from employment discrimination because of disability …. It also requires employers to engage in the interactive process with an employee to determine if a reasonable accommodation will allow the employee to perform their job. When this all-important federal law is not observed, the EEOC will enforce it when it must.”
Should Cash Depot cash in their chips?
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