New England Biz Law Update
North Carolina-based publishing company Champion Media, LLC allegedly violated federal employment laws when it refused to hire a deaf job applicant because of her disability and refused to provide her with a reasonable accommodation, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has charged in a lawsuit.
According to the suit, the plaintiff, who is deaf, met the qualifications and applied for a job at Champion Media’s printing facility in Lumberton, North Carolina.
After participating in an initial conversation over the phone and with the assistance of a video relay service, the applicant was selected for an in-person interview. The applicant requested that Champion Media provide a sign language interpreter as an accommodation for the interview.
Instead of providing an interpreter, Champion Media canceled the interview and did not hire the applicant for the job, the EEOC claimed.
Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), companies are prohibited from refusing to hire individuals with disabilities and, absent undue hardship, are required to provide reasonable accommodations. The EEOC filed suit in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina after first attempting to reach a pre-litigation settlement through its administrative conciliation process.
“Federal law is clear that disability discrimination is illegal,” said Melinda C. Dugas, regional attorney for the EEOC’s Charlotte District Office. “The EEOC is here to make sure that employment discrimination laws are strictly observed.”
