EEOC Sues IDEX Corporation for Disability Discrimination
IDEX Corporation, a manufacturer and supplier of fluidics systems with locations nationwide, including multiple posts in Florida, violated federal anti-discrimination law when it terminated a regional manager based on his disability, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) charged in a lawsuit filed on July 27, 2015. The EEOC's lawsuit coincides with the ADA's 25th anniversary on July 22, 2015.
According to EEOC's lawsuit, Gregorio Reyes successfully performed his regional manager position at IDEX Corporation, including during the six months in 2011 when he underwent chemotherapy to treat the cancer with which he was diagnosed the year before. During the period of his treatment, however, Reyes's supervisors repeatedly asked invasive questions about his illness and questioned his ability to perform job tasks. On Dec. 8, 2011, IDEX fired Reyes because of his disability, EEOC says.
Such alleged conduct violates the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which prohibits disability discrimination. EEOC filed suit in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida (Civil Action No. : 2:15-cv-00419-JES-CM), after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its conciliation process. The agency seeks injunctive relief to prevent any further discriminatory practices, as well as back pay and compensatory and punitive damages.
Update on gluten-free lawsuit against P.F. Chang's: Celiac disease concerns
eMaxHealth
The class action lawsuit against P.F. Chang's may have reached its end. A judge has decided to tentatively dismiss the case, and a case management conference is scheduled for next month. Anna Marie Phillips began the class action lawsuit against P.F. Chang's because she felt it was unfair that the gluten-free menu was more expensive than the regular menu.
El Paso civil rights group files three ADA lawsuits
Washington Times
The Paso Del Norte Civil Rights Project has filed lawsuits against a shopping mall, a soccer association and various businesses in El Paso for allegedly violating a federal law that provides protections to people with disabilities.
The lawsuits, which were filed on behalf of four El Pasoans with disabilities, were among more than 30 filed across Texas on Monday in commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Justice Department Settles Discrimination Lawsuit with Biafora's Inc.
WDTV
A new apartment complex with 100 wheelchair accessible units will be built in Morgantown as part of a settlement between the Justice Department and a Morgantown developer.
Biafora's Inc. was accused of violating the Fair Housing Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act by building 23 complexes in West Virginia and Pennsylvania that were inaccessible to people with disabilities. The group, and several affiliated companies, have agreed to pay $205,000. They'll also make certain changes to fix the accessibility issues to some buildings. These include replacing or making sloped portions of sidewalks, installing cabinets in bathrooms and kitchens to provide room for wheelchairs and widening doorways.
The defendants will also pay $180,000 to establish a settlement fund for the purpose of compensating individuals with disabilities who have been impacted by the accessibility violations and $25,000 as a civil penalty.
City Curbs Don't Comply with ADA
New York Press
Manhattan Borough President Gale A. Brewer issued a report finding that fewer than 10 percent of curb cuts along the entire length of Broadway in Manhattan fully comply with the specifications of the Americans with Disabilities Act, whose 25th anniversary was celebrated earlier this month.
FierceCIO
Marking the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, Senator Charles Schumer joined AT&T* and New York University's ABILITY Lab Monday to announce more than $100,000 in prizes awarded to developers of high-tech solutions to improve the lives of people living with disabilities.
America still leaves the disabled behind
UtahHerald.com
Gallacher, 28, is a computer expert. He has a bachelor’s degree in management and entrepreneurship from Louisiana Tech University. Yet most employers don’t give him a second glance when they learn he’s blind, even though he is able to operate a computer just fine with a screen reader.
Accommodating students with disabilities in class
Stillwater News Press
When it comes to schools, the Americans with Disabilities Act can be interpreted two different ways: from a construction perspective and from a curriculum perspective.
MSNBC
Former Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole (R-Kan.) was on Capitol Hill yesterday for a bipartisan event celebrating this week’s 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The law, which has done so much to improve the lives of millions of Americans, is “the sort of big bipartisan triumph of yore that now seems unimaginable,” the Washington Post’s Dana Milbank noted this morning.
In Our View: ADA Changed US for Better
The Columbian
Two barometers, in particular, point out the success and the importance of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
One is the fact that the manifestations of the act are a part of everyday life. Wheelchair ramps on buildings; lifts on public transit; lowered drinking fountains; wheelchair-accessible toilet stalls; ATMs marked with Braille; closed captioning on TV shows — each of these advancements can be traced to the moment President George H.W. Bush said, "Let the shameful wall of exclusion finally come tumbling down," as he signed the ADA into law 25 years ago this week.