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Power Grid Operator Denied Reasonable Accommodation, Then Fired Employee With Known Disability, Federal Agency Charges
INDIANAPOLIS – Midwest ISO, a Carmel, Ind.-based power grid operator for much of the Midwest, unlawfully discriminated against an employee and fired her because of her disability, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit it filed December 23, 2011.
According to the EEOC’s suit (Civil Action No. 1:11-cv-1703-WTL-DML), filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana, the employee suffered from post-partum depression, a condition the employee made known to Midwest ISO. Yet the company refused to grant the employee’s request for some leave time to help her deal with the condition, the EEOC said.
The Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) requires an employer to provide a reasonable accommodation of an employee’s disability, unless the employer would suffer an undue hardship as a result. The EEOC filed the lawsuit against Midwest ISO after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its conciliation process.
“This company could easily have prevented this situation by working toward a reasonable accommodation, which it was legally obliged to do,” said Laurie A. Young, EEOC regional attorney for the Indianapolis District Office.
The EEOC enforces federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. Further information about the EEOC is available on its web site at www.eeoc.gov.
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