The Equal Opportunity Commission is flexing its muscle to enforce Congress’s broadening of the definition of disability under the ADA.
The EEOC announced the filing of three new disability discrimination cases against employers in Georgia, Maryland and Michigan.
The cases — all filed under the broader and simplified definition of disability set forth in the ADA Amendments Act (ADAAA), enacted two years ago — allege discrimination against qualified individuals with diabetes, cancer and severe arthritis.
The cases
In Atlanta, the agency charged Eckerd Corporation, a nationwide drug store chain, with refusing to provide a reasonable accommodation — a stool to sit on — to a long-time employee who experienced severe arthritic symptoms in her knees.
In a case filed in Baltimore, the agency alleges that surveying company Fisher, Collins & Carter fired two employees because they had diabetes and hypertension.
In the third case, filed in Lansing, MI, the agency charged that IPC Print Services fired one of its employees rather than allowing him to work part time while being treated for cancer.
Although it’s been rather slow in coming, many observers forecast a huge jump in disability discrimination cases following the passage of the ADAAA. The EEOC’s triple play could signal the beginning of the deluge.
For more details on the three pending cases, go here.
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