Lowe’s a Fortune 50 company headquartered in Mooresville, N.C and the EEOC recently settled an ADA discrimination suit for $8.6 Million. U.S. District Court Judge Andre Birotte Jr. approved a consent decree which calls for a monetary distribution of $8.6 Million, in addition to non-monetary relief which includes:
- Retain a consultant with ADA experience to review and revise company policies, as appropriate;
- Implement effective training for both supervisors and staff on the ADA;
- Develop a centralized tracking system for employee requests for accommodation;
- Maintain an accommodation log;
- Post documentation related to the settlement.
According to the EEOC’s discrimination suit, Lowes violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and engaged in a pattern and practice of discrimination against people with disabilities and people “regarded as” disabled, by firing them and by failing to provide reasonable accommodations when their medical leaves of absence exceeded Lowe’s 180 day and 240-day maximum leave policy.
Lowe’s operates more than 1,840 home improvement and hardware stores across North America. Any person terminated by Lowe’s between Jan. 1 2004 and May 13, 2010, after having taken the maximum amount of leave then available under Lowe’s leave of absence policies, can complete a claim form at www.loweseeocsettlement.com. If you have additional questions, or need further assistance, please call our office. We are here to help you!