EEOC Sues Midwest Power Grid Operations Company for Disability Discrimination

Source: Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)

INDIANAPOLIS – A Carmel, Ind.-based power grid operator for much of the Midwest unlawfully discriminated against an employee and fired her because of her disability, the  U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit it  filed December 23, 2011.

According to the EEOC’s suit filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, the employee suffered from post-partum depression, a condition the employee made known to the company. Yet the company refused to grant the employee’s request for some leave time to help her deal with the condition, the EEOC said.

The Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) requires an employer to provide a reasonable accommodation of an employee’s disability, unless the employer would suffer an undue hardship as a result. The EEOC filed the lawsuit against the company after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its conciliation process.

“This company could easily have prevented this situation by working toward a reasonable accommodation, which it was legally obliged to do,” said Laurie A. Young, EEOC regional attorney for the Indianapolis District Office.

The EEOC enforces federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. Further information about the EEOC is available on its web site at www.eeoc.gov.

To learn more about employment discrimination laws, or how to protect your company from potential liability with effective training, please contact Berkshire Associates at 800.882.8904 or email bai@berkshireassociates.com.