Louisiana Company to Pay $25K to Settle Federal Disability Lawsuit

Federal regulators say a Louisiana company that operates a fleet of off-shore work boats in the Gulf of Mexico discriminated against and fired employee due to perceived disability.

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) filed a disability lawsuit against Gulf Logistics Operating Inc. based in Larose, Louisiana, and the company has agreed to pay $25,000 and provide other significant relief to settle the suit.

According to the EEOC lawsuit, Gulf Logistics hired Jason Gunderson in October 2012 as a deckhand and assigned him to a vessel working in the Gulf of Mexico. In April 2013, Gunderson requested a referral to the company’s Employee Assistance Program for his situational depression.

Gunderson returned to work after being cleared by the company’s medical provider for full duty and had no restrictions from his doctor. He worked satisfactorily for two weeks and was still fired by Gulf Logistics because they believed he posed a safety concern.

The EEOC filed suit, (Civil Action No. 2:17-cv-09362-ILRL-DMD), in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation voluntary settlement through its conciliation process.

Although Gulf Logistics denied any liability, Gulf Logistics agreed to resolve this matter by entering into a two-year consent decree. Aside from the monetary relief, Gulf Logistics also agreed to develop an effective policy to protect applicants and/or employees from any form of disability discrimination.

In addition, Gulf Logistics will provide training to its employees about its policy and the ADA’s prohibitions. The company will also report to the EEOC on its compliance of the law and will post an “EEO is the Law” poster for its employees and/or applicants to be aware of their rights.

Source: EEOC

Topics Lawsuits Louisiana