The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission obtains $5 million settlement in ADA pattern and practice lawsuit

In Tennessee as well as across the United States it is against the law to discriminate against an employee or potential employee because of age, gender, sexual orientation, or disability. Unfortunately however, many companies and businesses find ways around these laws and discriminate against these employees anyway. According to a recent case, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed a lawsuit against Interstate Distributor Company, a trucking firm because the Commission claims that the Interstate company maintained a “no restrictions” leave policy in which employees on leave were automatically terminated after exhausting 12 weeks of leave unless they were able to return to full-duty work without limitation. The federal agency’s position in this lawsuit is that employers must make an individualized determination for each employee that has exhausted a leave of absence as to whether the employee can return to work with or without reasonable accommodation for a disability.

The Interstate Distributor trucking firm has agreed to pay $4.85 million in a settlement for their pattern and practice personnel policies which the EEOC alleged were in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act or ADA. The lawsuit is a reminder that those companies with outdated personnel policies could face a large amount of potential liability.

Unfortunately, cases like this one happen to employees all across the United States and even to Tennessee employees. If you or someone you know was not hired or discriminated against at the workplace because of a disability, then we strongly encourage you to contact one of our caring and experienced Tennessee employment and ADA attorneys immediately. We care about our clients and will work with you to make sure you get the compensation you are entitled to by law.