Employers Settle Lawsuits Alleging Age and Disability Discrimination

In separate developments, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) announced the settlement of age and disability discrimination lawsuits lodged against unrelated employers located in Texas, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire. Atlas Energy Group LLC has agreed to pay $85,000 and furnish significant relief to settle allegations that the Fort Worth, Texas-based company violated the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) when it pushed an older employee out of his job due to his age. The then-52-year-old production foreman with more than 20 years of industry experience was pushed out of his job by a new, young superintendent; the production foreman was considered "very knowledgeable" by the pumpers and field operators he supervised. Party City Corporation will pay $155,000 to settle allegations that the Rockaway, New Jersey-based national discount and costume retailer violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) by refusing to hire an applicant on the autism spectrum. The EEOC alleged that Party City violated the ADA by failing to hire a qualified employee with a disability at its Nashua, New Hampshire, location after it became aware that she required a job coach as a reasonable accommodation for her disability. Gulf Logistics Operating, Inc, a Larose, Louisiana, company that operates a fleet of off-shore workboats in the Gulf of Mexico, has agreed to pay $25,000 and provide other significant relief to resolve allegations that it fired an employee after he had requested assistance for situational depression and was later cleared to return to work. The employee returned to work after allegedly being cleared by the company's medical provider for full duty and with no restrictions from his doctor. He worked satisfactorily for two weeks and was still fired by Gulf Logistics because they believed he posed a safety concern.