Californians who have disabilities are protected under the Americans with Disabilities Act from workplace discrimination that is based on their conditions. Employers must provide reasonable accommodations if the disabled workers or job applicants need them to perform their job duties unless doing so would present an undue hardship to the companies.
Volvo Group North America has reached a settlement with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on a disability discrimination claim. In the case, Volvo had extended a conditional job offer to a worker in Maryland. The man was a recovering drug addict and who was enrolled in a treatment program through which he received prescribed medication.
During the man’s physical examination, he revealed that he was prescribed Suboxone. Volvo did not investigate whether or not his taking the medication would impact his ability to perform his job. When he showed up for his first day of work, he was told that he couldn’t do his job and was let go. The man filed a charge with the EEOC. In the settlement, Volvo Group agreed to pay the man $70,000. The company will also have an injunction against it to prevent it from violating the ADA over the next three years, and it will have to distribute information about the requirement of providing reasonable accommodations unless they would present undue hardships to its operations.
Disability discrimination is a pervasive problem at workplaces in California and across the U.S. People who believe that they were unlawfully discriminated against based on their disability statuses might want to consult with experienced employment lawyers who could assist their clients in gathering the evidence that they need to file claims with the EEOC.