Sarafina Network LLC, an Alabama-based management company for gas station convenience stores, will pay $40,000 and furnish other relief to settle a disability discrimination lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the federal agency has announced. According to the EEOC’s lawsuit, store managers, employees and customers routinely mocked a neuro-divergent cashier with eye problems, anxiety and a seizure disorder at a Double Springs, Alabama, location.
The lawsuit also charged that after receiving complaints about the harassment, the store manager responded by demanding that the employee provide a medical release related to a seizure episode. The employer then refused to accept a medical release offered by the employee and proceeded to terminate him.
The Winfield, Alabama-based business failed to maintain any anti-harassment or anti-discrimination policies or train employees about their obligations under federal anti-discrimination laws, the EEOC said.
This alleged conduct violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which prohibits disability-based harassment, discrimination and retaliation. The EEOC filed suit in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its administrative conciliation process.
“Bullying, especially on the basis of an employee’s disability status, should never be tolerated in the workplace,” said EEOC Regional Attorney Marsha Rucker. “The EEOC is committed to upholding the ADA’s promise: ensuring that every American, regardless of any disability, is afforded the opportunity to share in the dignity of work in an environment free of discrimination and harassment.”
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