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Pediatrics

Disability Discrimination Settlement: Zoe Center for Pediatric and Adolescent Health Agrees to Pay $70,000

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

The US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced a settlement with Zoe Center for Pediatric and Adolescent Health, LLC, a healthcare provider in Columbus, Georgia. The company agreed to pay $70,000 to resolve a disability discrimination and retaliation lawsuit filed by the EEOC. The lawsuit alleged that the company fired an employee after she requested a reasonable accommodation for her disabilities in January 2022. The employee had requested a day of leave, one week of remote work, and a modified schedule of working remotely three days per week. However, the company denied her request and terminated her employment the next day. The settlement requires Zoe Center to provide monetary relief to the employee, revise and distribute its Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) policy, and provide specialized ADA training to all employees. The company must also post a notice in the workplace informing employees of their rights against disability discrimination and provide periodic reports to the EEOC regarding requests for disability accommodations.

Key Takeaways:

  • Zoe Center for Pediatric and Adolescent Health, LLC, a healthcare provider in Columbus, Georgia, has agreed to pay $70,000 to settle a disability discrimination and retaliation lawsuit filed by the EEOC.
  • The lawsuit alleged that the company fired an employee in January 2022 after she requested a reasonable accommodation for her disabilities.
  • The employee had requested a day of leave, one week of remote work, and a modified schedule of working remotely three days per week.
  • The company denied her request and terminated her employment the next day, in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
  • The settlement requires Zoe Center to provide monetary relief to the employee, revise and distribute its ADA policy, and provide specialized ADA training to all employees.
  • The company must also post a notice in the workplace informing employees of their rights against disability discrimination.
  • Direll Graham, district director of the EEOC's Atlanta District Office, stated that individuals with disabilities have the right to seek work conditions that allow them to be healthy, productive employees.

Statistics:

  • $70,000: The amount Zoe Center for Pediatric and Adolescent Health agreed to pay to settle the disability discrimination and retaliation lawsuit.
  • 1 day: The time frame in which Zoe Center denied the employee's request for a reasonable accommodation and terminated her employment.
  • 2022: The year in which the employee requested a reasonable accommodation for her disabilities.
  • 4:23-CV-00167-CDL: The Civil Action Number for the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Georgia.

Sources:

  • U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
  • Zoe Center for Pediatric and Adolescent Health, LLC
  • Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

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