Wisconsin Manufacturer Settles Disability Discrimination Suit for $160K

September 15, 2015

Wisconsin-based energy-efficient lighting designer and manufacturer Orion Energy Systems will pay $160,000 and furnish other relief to settle a federal disability discrimination lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

According to EEOC’s lawsuit, Orion fired IT employee Scott Conant after he suffered a medical event at work that rendered him with a mobility impairment and required him to use a wheelchair to move distances greater than 15 feet.

EEOC claimed that Orion refused to grant Conant’s request for the reasonable accommodation of installing an automatic door opener. The agency further asserted that Orion fired Conant because of his disability and in retaliation for requesting reasonable accommodations for his disability.

Terminating a qualified employee because of a disability violates the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The law requires an employer to provide a reasonable accommodation to an employee or job applicant with a disability unless doing so would impose an undue hardship for the employer.

EEOC filed the lawsuit (EEOC v. Orion Energy Systems, Case Civil Action No. 14-0619) in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin.

Orion moved for summary judgment on the EEOC’s reasonable accommodation claim; its motion was denied by the district court.

The parties entered into a three-year consent decree to resolve EEOC’s suit. Aside from the monetary relief obtained for the discrimination victim, Orion agreed to review and revise its existing anti-discrimination and accommodation policies and procedures, provide training on those policies and procedures to all staff, and monitor and track requests for accommodation and terminations involving persons with disabilities.

Source: EEOC

Topics Lawsuits Wisconsin Manufacturing

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