AGREES TO PAY IMPACTED INDIVIDUAL $150,000
A global technology company, doing business as Cloudbeds, has agreed to settle a discrimination suit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) for $150,000.
The company allegedly failed to accommodate a candidate who is deaf and communicates via American Sign Language. (It believed that verbal communication and hearing were job requirements.)
Since such conduct was thought to be violative of the American with Disabilities Act (ADA), the EEOC filed a case in U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts (EEOC v. Digital Arbitrage, Inc. d/b/a Cloudbeds, Civ.A No. 1:23-cv-11856-RGS), seeking monetary damages and injunctive relief.
In addition to paying the impacted individual $150k, Cloudbeds has agreed to modify its training and employment practices.
In a written statement, EEOC Regional Attorney Jeffrey Burstein noted, “We are pleased that we were able to reach an early agreement with Cloudbeds that will provide both monetary relief to the worker and injunctive relief designed to promote a company-wide commitment to inclusivity …. The EEOC commends Cloudbeds’ commitment to supporting workers and applicants who are deaf or hard of hearing. It is important that human resources and managerial professionals keep pace with changing technology as workplaces move to remote-first and hybrid settings.”
Clouds sure hung over them ….