SETTLES DISABILITY DISCRIMINATION & HARASSMENT CLAIMS
A Pizza Hut out in Zanesville, Ohio, agreed to pay $15,000 in back pay and damages to settle disability discrimination and harassment charges brought by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).
Apparently, a manager subjected an employee to “unwelcome and derogatory comments” about the latter's disability, causing her to resign.
Believing that such conduct violated the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), the EEOC commenced an investigation into the company’s conduct, engaged in pre-litigation discussions, and secured the $15,000 payment, together with an agreement to modify its employment related polices and practices.
In a written statement, Dilip Gokhale, director of the EEOC’s Cleveland Field Office, noted that "Employees have the right to work in an environment free from discrimination and harassment because of their disability …. This action makes it clear that the EEOC will vigorously enforce that right."
Was a pie in that Pizza Hut’s face?
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