Atlanta Hair Salon Unlawfully Fired Disabled Veteran, Federal Agency Charges

ATLANTA - Jamison Shaw Hairdressers, which operates a salon in the Buckhead section of Atlanta, violated federal law by subjecting a disabled employee to discrimination after she requested a reasonable accommodation for her scoliosis and herniated disc, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a recently filed lawsuit.

According to the EEOC's suit, Civil Action No., 1:14-CV-01934, filed in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, Atlanta Division, Chiquita Cheek, a disabled veteran, was subjected to disability discrimination when she was terminated immediately after requesting a reasonable accommodation that would allow her to stand for extended periods without experiencing pain. According to the EEOC's complaint, the employer rejected the accommodation request and immediately discharged Cheek.

Disability discrimination violates Title I of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, as amended. The EEOC filed its suit after first attempting to reach a voluntary settlement with the employer. The federal agency seeks back pay, compensatory and punitive damages for the employee, as well as injunctive relief designed to prevent such discrimination in the future.

"No employee should be terminated because she attempted to exercise her right to a reasonable accommodation," said Bernice Williams-Kimbrough, district director for the EEOC's Atlanta District Office. "Firing a veteran who served her country over a disability is especially unconscionable. The EEOC is here to protect such discrimination victims."

The EEOC enforces federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. Further information about the EEOC is available on the agency's web site at www.eeoc.gov.