Wednesday, October 26, 2016
The Justice Department announced today that it filed a complaint and consent decree in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky against the City of Florence alleging that the City violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by discriminating against a woman with a pregnancy-related disability by failing to provide a reasonable accommodation of light duty. The complaint also alleges that the City imposed a “no-restrictions” policy, co-mingled employees’ medical records within their personnel files, and engaged in a pattern or practice of discrimination against women, based on sex (pregnancy), in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The consent decree requires the City to pay $135,000 in compensatory damages and attorney’s fees and reinstate the paid leave two women police officers were forced to use. It will adopt new policies that allow accommodations, including light duty, for pregnant employees and employees with disabilities; a policy that establishes an effective process for receiving and responding to employees’ accommodation requests and discrimination complaints; and a policy that ensures the proper maintenance of employee medical records. In addition, the City will train all staff who participate in making personnel decisions related to light duty and other accommodation requests.
To find out more about the ADA or this consent decree, call the Justice Department's toll-free ADA Information Line at 800-514-0301 or 800-514-0383 (TDD),
or access its ADA.gov website.
Article Credit: U.S. Department of Justice