ACCESS OHIO
  • Home
  • About
  • News
  • The Act
    • Employment
    • State and Local Governments
    • Public Accommodations
  • Docs
    • Title I
    • Title II
    • Title III
    • Accessible Information Technology
    • Architectural Standards
  • Events
  • Links
  • Disability Friendly Toolkit Page
  • Contact
  • Clients

Hot Off the Press

RSS Feed

EEOC Sues Rover’s Place for Harassing an Opioid Addict in Recovery

10/1/2021

0 Comments

 
Dog Kennel Company Subjected a Recovering Opioid Addict to Hostile Work Environment, Federal Agency ChargesCHICAGO – A dog kennel company in suburban Chicago, Rover’s Place, violated civil rights law when it subjected an employee to a hostile work environment, inquired into his medical history, and forced him to quit his job because of his opioid addiction disability, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit filed in Illinois yesterday.
According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, the employee worked without incident at the kennel company until one of the owner’s learned of his past drug use. The owner then confronted the employee and in an abusive manner inquired about his history of addiction and treatment even though the employee was not currently using drugs and had not presented any issue in the workplace because of his former drug use.
Such alleged conduct violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The EEOC filed suit (U.S. EEOC v. Family Futures Group, Inc. d/b/a Rover’s Place, Civil Action No. 1:21-cv-05191) in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its conciliation process. The EEOC is seeking back pay, compensatory damages, and punitive damages for the former employee, as well as injunctive relief to prevent future discrimination.
“While in very limited circumstances, the ADA permits employers to make appropriate, job-related medical inquires, that law prohibits employers from harassing their employees because of a disability and denying them equal employment opportunities,” said Gregory Gochanour, regional attorney for the EEOC’s Chicago District Office.
Julianne Bowman, district director of the EEOC’s Chicago District, said, “Too often, misconceptions and stereotypes about workers receiving addiction treatment continue to block them from gainful employment. Recovering addicts present no greater safety risk in employment than the general population in the vast majority of jobs in our economy. The EEOC will aggressively investigate, and, if necessary, prosecute employers that violate the law and limit employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities.”
The EEOC’s Chicago District Office is responsible for processing charges of discrimination, administrative enforcement and the conduct of agency litigation in Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa and North and South Dakota, with Area Offices in Milwaukee and Minneapolis.
The EEOC advances opportunity in the workplace by enforcing federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. More information is available on its website at www.eeoc.gov. Stay connected with the latest EEOC news by subscribing to our email updates.
0 Comments

    About

    A news blog on issues in the community of people with disabilities and accessibility.

    The Center for Disability Empowerment

    ​

    Archives

    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    July 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    December 2014

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

   614-575-8055               info@disabilityempowerment.net​                         ​www.disabilityempowerment.net        
Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Home
  • About
  • News
  • The Act
    • Employment
    • State and Local Governments
    • Public Accommodations
  • Docs
    • Title I
    • Title II
    • Title III
    • Accessible Information Technology
    • Architectural Standards
  • Events
  • Links
  • Disability Friendly Toolkit Page
  • Contact
  • Clients