Maryland Car Dealer Accused of Denying Employee’s Service Dog for PTSD

Criswell Chevrolet, Inc., a Maryland car dealership group, violated federal law by refusing to allow a parts department worker to have a service dog at work as a reasonable accommodation for his post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) resulting from combat duty in the Iraq War, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit.

According to the EEOC, Criswell Chevrolet denied the parts department worker’s request to bring a service dog to his workplace in order to help control his panic attacks brought on by PTSD. Criswell Chevrolet also refused to offer or propose alternative accommodations, the suit alleges.

The employer’s demand that the employee continue to work while suffering panic attacks, and without any accommodation to control or prevent the attacks, forced the employee to quit, the EEOC said.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibits employers from denying a reasonable accommodation absent undue hardship and without engaging in the interactive process.

The EEOC is seeking back pay, compensatory damages and punitive damages for the employee, and injunctive relief to remedy and prevent future discrimination based on disability.

The EEOC said it filed suit in U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland on May 21 after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement. Criswell Chevrolet has not yet answered the EEOC’s complaint.

Source: EEOC

Topics Auto