Movie Theatre Chain Sued for Alleged Disability Discrimination

American Multi-Cinema (AMC), a nationwide movie theatre chain, violated federal law when it forced an employee with a disability to leave his job, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit.

According to the lawsuit, AMC, at its Owings Mills, Maryland location, forced a 22-year employee with cerebral palsy to quit around September 2023 after it deprived him of reasonable accommodations which would have enabled him to better perform his job and then greatly reduced his hours. The theater refused to provide a ticket scanner with a strap and side button which would have been easier for him to use, and a printed list of the movies and their corresponding theaters in large font, according to the suit.

“This employee had worked for the company for 22 years and requested very simple accommodations to continue as an effective employee,” said EEOC Regional Attorney Debra Lawrence.

EEOC contends the theater’s alleged conduct violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which requires employers to make reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities, absent undue hardship, and prohibits discrimination based on disability.

The EEOC said it filed suit in U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its administrative conciliation process.

Topics Lawsuits